


I'll Be Waiting

by DeepInBroppy



Category: Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon), Trolls: TrollsTopia
Genre: A little bit of gay relationships ig, Anal Sex, And Cheating, Angst, Creek will be in the fanfic but mentally not physically, Death, Dr. Moonbloom will rarely be showed, Drama, F/M, King Peppy will rarely be showed, Lots of drama, Love, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence not really graphic, Mystery, Oral Sex, Other, Probably some horror (depending on the type of person you are), Romance, Sex, There will also be sex, a bit of manipulation, a bit of singing, bad breakup, like a lot, lots of cheating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28055667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeepInBroppy/pseuds/DeepInBroppy
Summary: Branch loved Poppy with all his heart and there was no denying that. No amount of money could make him feel otherwise. And deep down inside, he knew she loved him too. But they can't be together. Not right now. Not when Poppy still has her own personal demons and trauma to fight. He promised himself that he'll be there in every battle she faces and any demon she fights. That he'll comfort her through her tears and rough nights.That he'll make sure she'll never feel that kind of pain again. But most importantly, he promised himself that he would not love anyone else, as much as he loves her. Branch is aware that this isn't all cupcakes and rainbows, but he'll make sure that one day, their future will end like that. He'll wait for her to come back. No matter how long it takes."I'll Be Waiting"This story takes place almost a year after the Bergens and the Trolls made peace. Poppy has yet to get over Creek's betrayal and she is still fighting the flashbacks and memories of the few good times they had together.BE CAUTIOUS! Check the warning signs (There is a close sex scene in the first chapter) Read the Beginning note for further information
Relationships: Branch/Maple (Trolls), Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls), Broppy (Trolls), Broppy Trolls
Comments: 25
Kudos: 14





	1. How it all started

**Author's Note:**

> I'm warning you, this isn't your classic cakewalk, this is some serious 18+ shit. There is no official sex in this chapter but there is a lot of touching and some sexual harassment. If you don't want to see that kind of stuff, I have put x's to tell you when it starts, and when it stops; but, I didn't put any in Poppy and Branch's part because they didn't get too far. 
> 
> Last warning to turn away.....! (18+)

It had been almost a year after the Bergens and the Trolls made peace and Poppy decided to visit the Bergens twice a week. After convincing Branch to tag along with her, she felt like nothing could go wrong! 

A song started to spring into action in Bergen town, making everyone dance to the rhythm. Poppy ran to the middle of the street, bouncing with enthusiasm. She officially started the song, painting the streets with vivid colors with every step she danced and every note she sang. Branch enthusiastically front-flipped off a mushroom, joining Poppy as he painted the dull buildings once more with bright colors. Their faces lit up when they saw each other, and they instantly began singing in harmony. There wasn’t a note that wasn’t synchronized between them as they danced along the streets, earning a wink from the new Bergen couple, Gristle and Bridget.

Branch ended the song with an angelic high note as the sunset to reveal a milky lavender sky with the faintest stars. A sweet maple scent filled the air as the wind whistled across from where Poppy and Branch were lying, exhausted. They laid next to each other in silence, panting heavily under the emerald tree that was once made of nothing but stray leaves and used recycle bags. The lampposts flickered as a slight breeze caressed the air. Branch looked at the radiant beauty before him as he played with the thought of holding her hand but quickly dismissed it. 

“Y’know,” Poppy started, finally breaking the silence that had filled the empty streets. Her eyes were still glued on the misty lavender sky “You really do have the voice of an angel” Branch’s cheeks and the tips of his ears flushed, causing it to turn to a light shade of purple.

“T-Thanks.” He stammered, his voice was barely above a whisper compared to Poppy’s energetic one. “You really think so?” He questioned, playing with the back of his blue hair nervously.

“Of course!” Poppy assured, now laying on her side to face Branch, “Your voice puts Justin Timberlake to shame.” Branch gave a small chuckle as he slowly turned his body to Poppy, their eyes locking instantly. Poppy immediately got lost in the everlasting shine of Branch’s midnight eyes. It was as bright as the sun, yet it was as deep as the ocean. They seemed to mesmerize her, sending butterflies to her stomach and summoning a dreamy smile. She was so wrapped in the sight, that she didn’t even realize that Branch was doing the same.

“So,” Poppy cleared her throat, blinking rapidly to break their gaze after a few minutes. She continued staring at the depths of the creamy sky. “You're happy now!”

“Y-yeah!” Branch responded, now getting up to rest on one of his arms but not daring to stop looking at Poppy, even if she wasn’t looking at him in return. “I guess I am, aren’t I?” It felt like yesterday that he had regained his colors. 

He stared at Poppy with a soft smile, taking in that he WAS indeed happy, 

And it was all because of her.

Poppy gave a light chuckle when she caught Branch staring at her with awe and gave him a reassuring squeeze when he tried to hide his purple face by laying the other way. 

“I’m just teasing Branch.” Poppy whispered and he could feel her breath at the back of his neck, tickling ears. 

He relaxed in her arms, instantly being sent to a daze of her strawberry scent and the soft smell of syrup that filled Bergen town. He fluttered his eye’s shut for a moment, letting the soft wind brush their hair and take in the sweetness that flew around them. It felt so good to have Poppy wrapped around him, transcendent even. Like a million feathers were dusting away the bitterness from his heart to reveal his true colors. He let out a soft sigh. Was this how it felt to be happy? If so, he wanted to feel this way forever. 

Hovering his eyes open, he turned his body to face Poppy, a small smile pulling the corners of his mouth. She looked at him quizzically, confused as to why he was smiling all of a sudden.

“What’s so funny?” Poppy asked, grinning at his smile. Every time her eyes caught hold of his smiles, it would send tidal waves of happiness down her spine, making her lips automatically return it. But not until this moment did she think that his smile actually MEANT something to her. 

But here they were… 

Smiling into each other's soles.

“Can’t I enjoy the view?” Branch whispered, staring into her ruby pink eyes. How he wished he could just dive in and never come up for air, but alas, his embarrassment would get the best of him. Poppy glanced at the sky that seemed to be more of a violet than a lavender now, trying to hide her flushed pink cheeks. 

So he was a smooth talker too! 

Looks like she still has some discovering to do...

“What’s so funny about the view?” She joked, pointing to the streaks of clouds. Branch gave a small chuckle.

“Not that view,” He used his hand to gently bring Poppy’s face towards his. “This one.” 

His last words came out as no more than a low whisper as Branch softly caressed her face, making her eyes flutter winningly. Without a second thought, Branch brushed her bangs away, staring into her cotton candy shaded eyes. 

For a moment, they just stayed like that, staring into the depths of each other's eyes as their breath hit one another’s faces. The violet sky set to transform into yet another darker color as the stars shone upon the street of Bergen town, the buildings still highlighted in an array of colors as the lampposts shut off for the night. Poppy’s heart melted as her fingers slowly made their way towards Branch’s chest, hesitating slightly before gently stroking his small chest hair. Branch continued to stare into the endless void of Poppy’s rubellite eyes while unconsciously brushing her bangs away with two fingers. His smile grew wider but softer and he licked his bottom lip fortuitously. 

That’s when it hit him. They were alone under a navy blue sky as the stars shone upon them and the wind whistled a soft tune. Of course, he knew how big of a risk he was taking by proceeding without double-checking that their feeling’s mutual- as they had only confessed almost a year ago and never spoke about it again- But…. At the same time……. 

Hair, he really wanted her. 

He wanted her body against his, pounding affectionately. He wanted to discover what she really tasted like. He wanted orgasm after orgasm after orgasm. He wanted sweat dripping off their foreheads by the time they were done. He wanted a memory of endless intimacy shared by the troll he loved most.

And so…. He continued.

Seeing his opportunity, he returned to softly caress her cheek, making her eyes flutter once more as Poppy let out a dreamy sigh. How this troll had power over her. She slowly slid her hand inside his leaf vest and through Branch’s back, making sure to enjoy every inch of skin that passed by until she reached the back of his head.

“Whoever knew your true colors would be blue?” Poppy’s voice was barely audible as she pulled the little strands of hair that led to his back, causing him to suck in a deep, quick breath.

“Whoever knew the village grump, would fall in love with the happiest troll alive?” Branch licked his lips, his thumb stroking the bottom of her lip. He smiled when he saw the temptation in her eyes. And it was at this moment, that Branch wanted to pat himself on the back for giving the others instructions on how to get back to the village safely without his or Poppy’s help.

Poppy’s heart once again melted as her hands wandered deeper into his hair, tugging it lightly as she brought them closer. Branch gave a soft moan. How he loved it when she played with his hair like that! Poppy touching him alone was enough to drive him crazy, but when she played with his hair, so soft and gentle, it was like she was teasing his temptation for more passion! _“Poppy, you’re turning me on!”_ She was starting to send Branch into overdrive and it took every single muscle in his body to make sure he didn’t strip her right then and there. _“Patience,”_ He told himself, _“All good things come with time.”_

Branch moved his hand to Poppy’s chin, caressing it before gently bringing it up higher. Their faces came closer, and closer until their noses were touching. Their breath tenderly hit each other’s faces as they both got lost in one another’s eyes. The temptation was growing without recognition of its power. Branch gently pulled her in closer as emerald leaves rained above them. 

Poppy’s hand dug deeper into his royal blue hair as she dived farther into his eyes. Hair, she just wanted to kiss him! And she was certain that if he didn’t do it in the next 2 seconds, she would drive him deep into the void of endless love and affection. Poppy nuzzled their noses against each other softly, not even realizing that her cheeks were burning a light shade of red. She continued to stare at the now blue troll before her, a small smile forming on her lips. 

She moved her face closer, their lips nearly hovering over each other. Branch’s breath hitched for no more than a second as he ventured his free hand to softly touch her inner thigh. He lovingly rubbed it, making Poppy gasp. 

He wanted more. 

Ignoring his conscience, he slid his hand higher, locating it a few inches from the bottom of her dress, and tenderly squeezed her upper thigh. 

Poppy bit her lip, her eyes rolling back to her skull as she failed to contain another gasp. Oh, hair! The lust was starting to get to her, causing her to grip onto Branch’s hair tighter. The light touches, the tenderness, the desire that was spread through every gasp…. 

  
  


And they hadn’t even kissed yet!   
  


Poppy bit her lip harder as her eyes trailed back to Branch’s, who still kept his gaze with a naughty smile spread across his face. She licked her lips at how much passion was revealed through his eyes, and eyes alone. They were both thinking the same thing, and their breath hitched at the thought of it. She had never felt an attraction this strong with another troll before! 

It was so close to somewhat resemble the ones of Creek’s……… 

  
  


Creek. 

  
  


Her mind trailed off past the moment, instantly turning a new page of memories. His sky blue eyes shined deep inside her conscience, forcing her to think of the smile he would make that seemed to capture the light of the sun. How he would always find a way to cheer her up even on her most darkest days. He was her lantern in the dark when she had no light… 

That’s when she realized something…… 

She was still in love with him. 

Even if he had tried to kill her……. She….

She was still in love with him. 

Poppy blinked, unsure of where she was but was soon reminded when she felt a tender hand on her cheek. 

  
  


_“Branch!”_

  
  


There was one last coffee-scented breath before his face moved closer, their lips enticed to collide with one another. Poppy abruptly released her grip from his hair, shoving him away forcefully. Leaping onto her feet, she took one last look at him before hastily retreating to the other side of the tree, refusing to acknowledge his reaction. 

Branch just sat there stunned. Had he done something wrong? With the setting and all the hinting she was giving him, he just assumed what was going to happen. Everything seemed to be going well from the start…. So what possibly could have gone wrong? 

  
  
  


Was it the touching? 

  
  
  


No. Poppy seemed to be liking the way he played with her, her actions didn’t say otherwise. 

  
  
  


Maybe she panicked? 

  
  
  


No.. that didn’t seem right either. If she panicked, she would have run away the second he rubbed her inner thigh… Right? He would have considered the thought that she freaked out when he was about to kiss her if Poppy wasn’t the one who made the first move.

Another soft breeze carried two strands of emerald leaves as he let his body fall on his thighs. His fingers buried themselves in his temples while the cold grass tickled his calves. He hit his head with his palm, trying to figure out what happened but only drew blanks. 

Maybe she did panic…? 

Releasing his gaze, he stared at the streaks of violet that remained on the navy blue sky and watched as the stars competed on who could shine brightest. Sighing, he ran a hand through his Prussian blue hair, a smile threatening to escape when he saw his blue arm.

He scoffed. This was no time to be thinking about his happiness, not when there was clearly something going on with Poppy. There was another gust of wind when a possibility struck him, immediately filling his body with doubt and confusion.

  
  
  


_“Does Poppy just not see me that way?”_

  
  
  


He shook his head forcefully, trying to get the thought out of his mind. There was no way Poppy thought of him as ‘just a friend’. They had sung a song together only a few weeks ago, revealing their love for one another inside the Bergen pot before they were supposed to be EATEN. Even if they hadn’t talked about the meaning of the song since then! There was absolutely no chance!.. 

  
  
  


And yet…. 

  
  
  


Branch still had this feeling of doubt inside himself, telling him that Poppy didn’t love him. He hit himself with his palm again, this time, cursing himself for jumping into accusations.

__________________

  
  


Poppy sat on the soft grass, cradling herself as she rested her head against the bark of the large Oak tree, and even though she was well aware of what she had just done, it wasn’t Branch that filled her mind at that moment, it was Creek. Every moment, every memory of them together filled her mind, causing her to be lost in thought. 

_FLASHBACK_

_“Creek, stop it!” Poppy laughed as Creek devoured her in a layer of tickles. Poppy cried out of laughter as she tried to find ways to escape._

_“Not a chance.” He replied, giggling at her struggle to escape. The pod echoed in a ray of laughter as the night sky dimmed a cool pink. “Say you’re sorry!” He joked, tickling her harder._

_“Never!” Creek flipped Poppy on her stomach to get her most ticklish spot, her lower back._

_“Say it!” Poppy waved her hands hysterically, gasping for air as she tried to make another attempt of escaping._

_“Ok, ok!” She yelled, seeing her attempts had failed “I’m sorry!” In one last resort, Poppy kicked her legs unconsciously, hitting Creek in the face with her bunny-unicorn slippers, making him flip over the side of the couch, and into the haired ground face first._

_The laughter quickly stopped as Poppy sprinted to the arm of the couch, realizing what she had just done._

_“Creek!” She yelped, peaking over the pink velvet couch to look at her best friend on the floor with a hand on his nose. Her face scrunched up. “Are you ok?” Poppy’s question was barely above a whisper. Creek removed his hand and Poppy winced when she saw the amount of blood that she had created._

_“You really are a feisty one, aren’t you?” He stood, trying to wipe away the bits of blood that dripped on his pajama shirt as Poppy gave a slight smile._

_“I’m so sorry.” She got up, hesitant to move to his side in case he might be mad at her._

_“Don’t worry about it, Poppy.” He said reassuringly, wiping the blood from his nose on a handkerchief that was hidden in his gray pajama pants “That was fun!” He shot his hands in the air reassuringly while whipping his turquoise hair around when he realized her doubt._

_“If you say so….” She mumbled, still unsure if his reaction was just a fraud hiding his real feelings. Poppy fiddled with her fingernails as Creek got the remote off the floor and plumped himself on the couch. She hesitantly made her way over but quickly stopped when she realized that he was taking up all the space. He signaled that it was ok if she laid on top of him, but she refused, awkwardly sitting crisscrossed on the floor with her back to him as she waited for the TV to un-pause._

_There was a moment of silence and Poppy’s face was getting hotter by the second. How could she have kicked her best friend in the face!? Especially when she was sure she was growing feelings for him!? She buried her hands in her face, making a poor attempt to rub off her blush off._

_“_ **_Why am I such an idiot!”_ ** _She wondered, shaking her head in her hands. “_ **_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stu-”_ ** _Her thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of arms around her, comforting her in a warm embrace._

_“I really am ok, Poppy.” She felt Creek’s warm breath on her neck, “Don’t worry about me, ok?”_

_“Ok.” She responded after a few seconds, lightheaded from the realization of how close Creek was to her. He wrapped his legs around her waist, giving gentle kisses to Poppy’s neck, occasionally moving up to the side of her jaw. Of course, she didn’t jump into accusations they were actually kisses or just the warmth of his breath._

_Ignoring the movie, Poppy sunk into the pecks, not realizing when she let a few soft moans escape, and tilted her head slightly to the side to fully appease it._

_It was a couple of seconds later of ‘kisses’ when Creek announced that he wanted to get a blanket from her room. Poppy had offered to go with him, but he insisted that she continued to watch the film as he had already seen the movie. She hesitantly agreed and after a few directions, he was off._

_Poppy exhaled deeply when she realized he was out of sight and she blinked, wondering what had just happened. One moment Creek was surely upset, but the next, he was kissing her neck in the most soothing way she’d ever experienced. Or maybe, he truly wasn’t upset. Maybe he was truly fine._

_Her eyes fluttered at the memories of the ardor that was poured into the kisses- if they even were kisses, she certainly wasn’t jumping into any accusations- as her mind spun wildly. She placed her hands on her cheeks, trying to get her thoughts back together and her eyes immediately widened when she realized that her face was burning hot._

_She slapped herself, hoping the blush would cease to exist as she smelled her breath only to find out that it smelled like ice cream and sprinkles. Certainly, her first kiss wasn’t going to taste like a 5-year-olds breakfast. She quickly sprang to the kitchen, opening a cabinet, and shoving three mints in her mouth._

_Wait…. What was she doing? Creek probably wasn’t kissing her at all!......._

  
  


_Probably_

  
  


_Poppy quickly shoved four more mint’s in her mouth after discovering her breath still smelled a little like sprinkles._

_“Well, you definitely aren’t going to bed soon.” She jumped at the sudden voice and slowly turned to face Creek holding a velvet blue blanket with white fur sticking out from the side. “Ready to finish the movie?” He cocked his head towards the living room. Poppy nodded silently in response, afraid for Creek to find out that she had mint’s hidden in her mouth._

_A few minutes later, they were wrapped together in a heavy blue blanket, perfect for the night. The movie continued, but none of them were listening. They were staring into each other's eyes, and before she knew it, he was leaning in..._

_xxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Poppy grinned as she tasted Creek’s elderberry breath, daring to include her tongue to truly indulge the kiss as things escalated. There were quick, sharp breaths shared by both of them as their lips collided in the most fiercest way. She gasped when Creek decided to take things further and took off Poppy’s unicorn hood, slowly unzipping her onesie. She was ready to let it all out for this troll. She had been crushing too hard and for too long. She wanted him now! In every square inch of her body, she wanted him- no, not wanted…. She needed him. She needed him closer to her. She needed to feel loved._

_She let out a quiet moan as he kissed her neck, mesmerizing her in his lust as he stroked her now bare waist, enjoying her curves. He grinned at her as he slowly took off the rest of her pajama. Poppy quickly fell on her back, assisting him to take off the remaining parts of clothing that were restraining them from moving further. He tossed the unicorn onesie to the couch blindly, for he was only paying attention to one troll right now, and that one troll was laying right in front of him, begging with her eyes for him to come closer as her curves were highlighted by the dim light of the TV behind them._

_He slickly slithered on top of her, whispering “I love you” before devouring her in another round of hot kisses. Their bodies crashed together as Poppy decided that his pajama shirt was getting in the way. She rolled it up slowly, taking it off as she ran her fingers through his thick chest hair. Her breath hitched when Creek dragged her lip with a subtle bite._

_Poppy was ready. She knew she was. This is the troll of her dreams! She would give anything up for him!....._

  
  


_And yet…._

  
  


_Her conscious was telling her that she WASN’T ready. That this WASN’T the troll of her dreams. That this was not the troll she should lose her virginity to. Realizing this, she tried to pull away but his grip on her waist was too strong._

_“Creek.” She called, putting her hands on his chest, signaling that she wanted to stop. “Creek.” She tried again, shoving him lightly this time. A few seconds passed before Poppy decided that she needed to be more aggressive._

_“Cree-ah!” Creek soothingly bit her lower neck, sending waves of desire down her spine before she could raise her voice._

  
  
  


_One bite._

  
  


_One bite was all it took for her to turn back. He kissed her shoulder, going down towards her breasts, making her gasp more. Releasing his grip from her waists, he slowly undid her bra, biting her breasts as she gasped with delight. Poppy’s legs wrapped around his waist, her eyes rolling into her skull as his teeth stretched the skin of her breasts._

_She cried with affection as he extended her nipples with his teeth fiercely, sending her mind to a whole other place. He moaned passionately, moving his waist closer to her as he impatiently took off his pajama pants. Poppy could feel his erection bulging through his boxers and pressing hard against her body, once more summoning a tsunami of pleasure down her spine._

_He returned to her face, giving her an endearing kiss before resuming to lick her breasts, tenderly sucking her neck along the way. She dug her fingers into his hair, as she tried to brace herself for what was going to happen next._

_His hands threatened to remove her underwear as he made his way down her legs to lick her inner thighs. Poppy squirmed and giggled at the sudden movement. They both moaned with pleasure while Poppy’s heart started to beat a different pattern. A faster, much graceful pattern that made her moan louder. Was this how it felt like to have passion this close to you?_

_Yes!….._

  
  


_No?_

  
  


_She still felt like something was wrong. Like she was with the wrong troll._

  
  


_“Creek, stop.” She grabbed his hair to get his attention but realized she sent the wrong message when Creek returned to stretch the skin on her breasts. There was another soft moan from Poppy when he bit her nipple, making her feel lightheaded._

_She blinked, her conscious speaking to her again “Creek…” She started, placing her hands on his bare chest, struggling to not caress the hair “Creek, stop.” She once again shoved him but his rhythm remained the same, roughly sucking her neck as his hand slid inside her white underwear without the slightest bit of hesitation. She tried not to give in to his lust as he rubbed her but couldn’t contain another soft moan. She bit the inside of her lip, determined to break free._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_“Creek, I said STOP!” She nearly yelled, shoving him into the haired ground with a hard push. Creek glared at her, surprised that she had broken their moment._

_“What was that for?” He asked, looking annoyed. The room filled with silence as Creek’s glare intensified. “I said,” He repeated, his voice rising with anger when she didn't give a response. “What was that for?”_

_Poppy opened her mouth, trying to force her response out but her lips betrayed her, cursing her with nothing more than inaudible words._

_“I’m not ready yet.” She finally mumbled, taking the heavy blue blanket to wrap her nearly naked body as Creek looked at her questionably._

_“What do you mean you're not ready?” He boomed, rising to his feet to thunder over Poppy. She stayed silent, unsure of what to say next._

_“I’m sorry.” Her voice was barely audible as she stared at the ground, feeling desperate for clothes. Her bra was right next to her but she didn’t feel right dressing in front of him. He rolled his eyes, placing two fingers on her forehead._

  
  


_“You better be sorry.” He scoffed, pushing her forehead so forcefully it tipped her over. He stomped over to the couch, angrily pulling his pajama pants over his boxers as he took his pajama shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. He took one last look at her, eyeing her in disgust before spitting on the haired floor and slamming the door to reveal his exit._

_For a few moments, she just laid there on her side, the TV light shadowing her as she scanned her clothes that were spread across the floor. Her eyes landed on her onesie, which was carelessly thrown on the pink velvet couch next to her bunny slippers._

_She glanced under the blanket, her eyes widening when she’d realized how far they’d gone. Only her cotton underwear remained on her exposed, pink body. She tried to rise on her feet, but her legs failed her. Her mind replayed the moment, tricking her into thinking that SHE did something to make him mad at her. Her eyes watered and she gripped the edges of the blanket tightly in an attempt to stop the streams of tears that were threatening to escape, but unsucceeded. She squeezed herself into a ball, her heart aching as she finally let the tears flow down her cheeks._

FLASHBACK OVER

The next day, Creek had apologized for making her feel uncomfortable the night before, saying that he was just not in a good mood that day. Poppy, of course, forgave him, even if she knew that his excuse was nothing but lies. She instead decided to blame the whole situation on her 19-year-old mind and the movie they were watching, 365 days.

She stared into the navy blue sky as she recalled the memory in her head, scoffing lightly. How could she still be in love with him? After all, he had done to her. Sexually harassing her, abusing her, sacrificing her to be eaten alive by the Bergens! 

ALL that….. 

And she STILL loves him. 

  
  


She buried her face in her hands, her eyes staining red as tears soaked her palms. 

_“Why?”_ She wondered, her sob increasing in size _“What have I ever done to you?”_

The moon shined on Poppy as the air complimented the town in a cold breeze, the dark streets of Bergen town remaining empty.

___________________________________________________

Branch laid his head on the bark of the Oaktree, exhausted from all the singing and dancing he had done today as his mind argued with itself over Poppy’s feelings towards him. 

The grass tickled the sole of his feet, reminding him that he wasn’t alone. Hair, he wanted to run to the other side of the tree and ask her if she was ok, better yet, ask what had happened. They were having such a beautiful moment and Branch was still unsure of why she had shoved him away. 

I mean, of course, there was always that OTHER thought, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to accept that possibility. It was worse than the previous ones he thought of before!

His face fell when something clicked inside his brain. A different, more reasonable possibility that Branch could cope with better. Well, not completely, but it was certainly better than thinking that Poppy didn’t have feelings for him.

“Creek….” He exhaled, closing his eyes to fully accept the possibility. This caught Poppy off guard and her eyes widened with surprise.

“What?” She cleared her hoarse throat, subtly turning her head to make sure she heard him clearly. 

The tips of Branch’s ears burned a dark purple when he realized he had said his thoughts out loud.

“You're not..” He hesitated as he hit his head on the bark of the tree, trying to force the words to come out “You’re not over Creek…. Are you?” His voice was quiet and soft, it almost seemed like he was talking to himself. 

Poppy froze hearing that name again and shook her head slowly, trying to convince herself that she WAS over him but once again failed.

“I’m so sorry Branch.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“I should be the one apologizing Poppy. I didn’t even stop to think that you’re probably still heartbroken. I mean, why wouldn’t you be!? The troll that you loved tried to kill you!” Branch paused, staring at the stars above him. “I’m so sorry you had to experience that.” He finally said after a couple of seconds.

“Thank you, Branch.” A soft smile tempted her lips. There was a moment of silence as they listened to the leaves rustle against each other. 

“I, uh…” Branch started eventually, fiddling with his fingernails nervously “I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable… Y’know, with all the touching-”  
  


“It’s ok Branch.” Poppy cut him off, placing a hand on the tree. “The touching….. It, uh…” She fumbled over her words, her mind briefly replaying their moment. “It felt nice.” She finally said, her face heating up the second the words passed her lips. Poppy let out a small chuckle when she heard Branch stammering from the other side of the tree. 

“Anyways,” She continued, moving past the moment. “I’m sorry for pushing you away like you were the plague.” Branch’s face scrunched.

“You can’t touch the plague. Mostly because it isn't necessarily a living organism but also because if you touch it, you are most likely to get it yourself. Did you know that another name for the plague is ‘black death’? It originated from-”

“You're such a nerd!” She groaned, rolling her eyes

“You’re the one that brought out the nerd in me!” He defended

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no.” She objected “You were a nerd WAY before we even MET. YOU brought out the nerd in YOURSELF.” 

Branch nodded, agreeing with her point before another round of silence filled the air. He inhaled after a couple of moments, asking a question that he should have started the conversation with.

“Poppy… Are you ok?” He blurted, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She sniffled, wiping away her remaining tears “I mean, I guess I’m a little heartbroken but…” She shrugged, unsure of how to finish the sentence. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked

“Not really.”

“Ok...” He said, understanding her reason “Well then, do you want me to walk you home?” He offered

“I..” She cleared her throat “I would like that.” He smiled as he got up, dusting his pants before making his way to the other side of the tree but that smile quickly turned into a gasp when he saw Poppy’s condition. 

She cradled herself upright against the tree as she blankly stared into the sky. She was still slightly trembling as she had just experienced a recent wave of horrifying flashbacks and her eyes were nearly as red as blood.

“Poppy…” He started, offering his hand to help her up. “Are you sure you’re-”

“I’m fine!” She interrupted, refusing his offer. She tried to get up herself but failed, stumbling when she realized her legs were asleep. Branch quickly caught her in his arms, looking at her remorsefully. “I’m fine!” She continued, trying to pull away from his grip. Branch brought her into a warm hug, tight enough that she wouldn’t be able to escape. “I’m fine! I’m fine! I’m-I’m-I’m…” Her voice trailed off as a pit clogged her throat, preventing her from talking any further. Her lips started to tremble faster, forcing a tear from the corner of her eye to break free. 

She tried to conquer the more tears that threatened escape, but between the pit in her throat and the flashbacks, she had just recently relieved….. MULTIPLIED by the warmth of Branch’s embrace….. It was impossible. It wasn't long before her dam broke and she released her weight in his arms. 

She buried her face in his chest, gripping his leaf vest tightly. Branch slowly dropped their bodies to the grass, resting his hand on the back of her head as his other soothingly rubbed her back.

“I’m not fine, Branch!” She hyperventilated, shaking her head in his blue chest “I’m not fine!”

“I know,” He whispered, closing his eyes to try to share her pain “I know.” The empty streets filled with the sounds of wailing and it felt like hours before her breathing relaxed. Her eyes were puffy and her breath was shaky by the time she stopped.

“I’m so sorry.” She mumbled, her grip on his vest getting softer.

“Don’t be.” They stayed there for another couple of minutes, enjoying the relaxing sounds of the leaves susurrating. “We should probably head back to the village now. Your dad and the Snack Pack are probably wondering where you are.” 

“Yeah,” She agreed as Branch raised them both up from the grass. “The Snack Pack are probably going to start thinking we had sex if we don’t make it back by tomorrow.” Branch’s face turned a deep shade of purple but she ignored that as she cleared her hoarse throat once more.

“Are you sure you're ok?” He used his thumbs to wipe off the streams of hot tears on her face, trying his best to not get lost in her eyes. She only nodded, forcing a small smile as she pulled him into another hug. He enthusiastically returned it, submerging his face in her strawberry scented hair. As they hugged, he thought he heard her whisper “I’m fine now that I’m with you.”

But he was almost certain that was his imagination.

Almost. 


	2. The Night After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this chapter took so long but it was absolutely HELL to write. So, this chapter had to be split into 2 parts because I found out there was a way that I could end it without making it kinda awkward (Thank you @Donnies_Lady_87 for helping me with that).
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter will hopefully come next week Saturday-Sunday, but every other chapter after that might come every other week on Tuesday-Wednesday.
> 
> Also, in case you guys haven't re-read the first chapter, I did change the timeline so it to almost a year because I felt like that would fit the story better than "a few months". So now we're almost a year in (9-10 months if you want to be specific)
> 
> That's pretty much it! (I deleted everything I was going to say in this note by accident. IT WAS SO MUCH LONGER THAN THIS) Anyway, sorry for the long wait, but I hope it was worth it! Enjoy!

“HELLO, mama!” a masculine voice abruptly slammed Branch’s room door open, hitting the dirt wall behind it forcefully and waking him up with a shock.

“What the fuck!” He yelped, using his blanket to cover his half-naked body as he glared at the short yellow troll with long turquoise hair that stood at his room entrance. “Smidge…” He groaned grouchily, plopping his body back onto his bed. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too, Branch.” She snarked, rolling her eyes at him with annoyance as she fully entered the room. Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion at the massive amounts of leaf vests and leather pants that were scattered on the room floor. Piles of paper made themselves at home on his corner table, spread messily with words too small to make legible from her angle. Writing utensils followed with mechanical pencils and worn-out erasers peeking out from under the bed. It was like an invader broke into his home just to trash his room for the fun of it.“Your cave is looking messier than usual.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” He repeated, his tone rising with irritation. All he wanted was some alone time after what happened the night before.

Last night was not the easiest for neither him nor Poppy. They had spent most of the night trying to leave the walls of Bergen Town, and the lack of sunlight had made it nearly impossible to find their way back to the village. It didn’t help them anymore when Poppy occasionally made stops to pet a cuddle puppy or smell a glow flower, completely ignoring Branch’s reminders of how late it was or how many dangerous creatures lurked in the woods at night.

But, despite how annoyed he was by Poppy’s constant delays, he was glad that she was getting back to her overzealous, energetic self. Of course, there were times where memories of Creek would rush back to her and she would dive deep into sobs and cries, but that didn’t happen more than a few times that night. And every time it did, Branch would make sure he was there, cuddling and comforting her through her tears. Those few times were rough, and it would take at least thirty minutes for her tears to stop flowing; but in his opinion, anything was worth it, from tears to death, if it meant that he could be the one she trusted most to release all her angst and worries upon.

They hadn’t gotten back to the village until after five in the morning and with Branch constantly trying to take Poppy’s mind off of Creek by starting conversations, his social interaction battery was completely drained and exhausted. All he wanted now- no, not wanted, needed. All he NEEDED now, was some alone time and some sleep.

He definitely didn’t need one of Poppy’s best friends, as well as a Snack Pack member, breaking into his bunker.

“I’m here for Poppy.” Smidge answered with half of her consciousness still trying to figure out how Branch’s room got so messy as her eyes darted around the filth in his room with disgust.

“What do you mean ‘For Poppy’?” Branch sat up with a jolt of confusion, ignoring the fact that he was still shirtless. Smidge walked towards him and sat herself on his bed, a cheeky grin playing on her features.

“Poppy missed the morning song, y’know. The village was ready to launch a full _'_ _Poppy 911'_ until the Snack Pack and I reassured them that she was still in Bergen town. Everyone immediately calmed down and understood the situation after we mentioned that she was still with you.” Branch’s eyes widened. “So,” She continued, perkily arching an eyebrow at him suspiciously “How well did the ‘special event’ go if she was planning to stay the night?” Smidge playfully wiggled her eyebrows, her grin increasing in size every time Branch’s face beamed a darker shade.

“We never had sex, Smidge!” He asserted, surprised by the words that were entering his ears right now.

“Y’know, I thought I heard something disturbing last night.” She continued, ignoring Branch’s comment. “I just assumed it was the growl beasts fighting with each other again, but now I know it was you guys!-”

“Stop!” Branch pleaded, grabbing a pillow and attempting to hide his blushing face in it as Smidge laughed. Hair, why couldn’t he just die right then and there? “How the fuck did you even get in my bunker in the first place?” He asked, moving on before the conversation escalated any further.

“Poppy told me the password.” Smidge’s laugh now eased down to a small snicker as Branch gave an exasperated groan, his voice sounding muffled in the pillow.

Great.

The one last bit of privacy he still had in a world full of constantly happy trolls. Gone.

Fuck

“You really need to clean this room up.” Smidge said, her eyes scanning Branch’s room with disrelish.

“I will. I just wanted to get a little sleep before I started.”

Branch’s room was usually very clean, probably the cleanest and most organized place in the village, but last night wasn’t the easiest for him. No matter how hard he tried, or how dark he made his room, his eyelids refused to go down. Even though he knew it was a selfish and insensitive thing to think about himself when Poppy was the one going through all the pain, he couldn’t help but be hurt by Poppy’s rejection. He felt this awful sensation of guilt and dread pumping through his veins for thinking such things, flowing easily through his body like a bloodstream. He was exhausted to his core but his body denied any sort of refreshment. The memories of her words glued themselves to his conscience, constantly reciting her words like it was a piece of poetry.

_“I’m so sorry, Branch…….. But, I still love him.”_

A part of him understood why she was still in love with him. Creek had been her shoulder to cry on, her light in a dark cave, her happiness on an empty day, her best friend, the one she trusted most. But the other part of him screamed with jealousy. Why couldn’t she just get over him? It had been almost a year since Creek’s betrayal; wasn’t that enough to move on? Wasn’t that enough to see how bad of a person Creek really was? Wasn’t that enough to see that his true colors were everything opposite of what she had thought they were?

_“How on Earth was she still in love with him?”_

His whole world had been turned upside down and he couldn’t emotionally or mentally bear it. After several weary hours of trying to force his body to go to sleep, he had decided that the best way to exhaust himself was writing. Despite the fact that it was after nine-thirty in the morning, he had poured all his emotions into simple lines of a poem. All the rage, the sorrow, the jealousy, the exhaustion, the guilt; every single emotion that he had been holding in since that night had been spewed out into his private journals.

After all Poppy had done for him, she was now living what Branch had lived so many years before, suffering and grieving. She was so close to falling into the same dark, bitter void he had once called home. In fact, if it weren’t for Branch’s comforts, she would have already been there.

This is why he hated seeing her go through the same pain and suffering he went through. He hated seeing her abandoned and betrayed, much like how he felt all those years ago. He hated seeing her cry and mourn a death. But most of all, he hated knowing that she was still in love with the troll that caused all of that.

It wasn’t fair.

Someone like Poppy didn’t deserve all this pain.

And someone like Creek didn’t deserve her love.

_“After all he had done to you…..”_

He had written multiple poem’s and he kept on writing until his eyelids finally failed to stay up. He knew he had done it, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint the exact moment he had thrown leaf vests on his room floor, or when he broke his pencil in half out of rage.

“So, where is she?” Smidge asked. Branch raised an eyebrow at her in confusion

“Where’s who?”

“Poppy. Where is she? After the morning song, the Snack Pack and I went to her pod to see if she was okay, but, she wasn’t there.” Smidge leaped off the bed, landing on the dirt floor with a soft thud. Without hesitation, she started to search his room, making it more of a mess as she blindly tossed scattered pieces of paper and leather pants on the bed.

“What makes you think that she’s here?” Branch questioned. He got up in an attempt to stop Smidge from giving him more work to do but rapidly dismissed his decision after reminding himself that he was dressed in nothing more than his striped boxers.

Smidge paused at his question and turned to face him with a small smirk. “You tell us that you have a _‘special event’_ planned for Poppy, you guys don’t make it back to the village in time for the morning song, and when the Snack Pack and I go to check on her, she’s not in her pod. ALL THAT... And you want me to believe that she DIDN’T spend the night in your bunker?” She let out a small chuckle before her attention directed itself to a tall, Oak closet, at least three times the size of her.

Bingo.

The closet was more than big enough for an average-sized troll to hide in there. She made her way over as Branch hastily used his blanket to wrap it around his blue body, making it waist-high as he called out her name in an attempt to stop her. Too many secrets lay in that closet. Too many journals filled with dark emotions and childhood poems. But most of all, too many of those journals expressed his true feelings about last night. If Smidge were to find out about it, even if she was to find a shred of evidence that connected Branch to jealousy, there was no chance that she wouldn’t tell Poppy.

Not that it was her fault. No one could keep a secret from Poppy for long, not even Branch. The princess was just too good at getting people to confess their secrets and wrong-doings. Smidge was Poppy’s second in command. Even if she pinky promised, there was no doubt that she wouldn’t go two days without blurting out the journals.

Which is why Branch was determined to do whatever means necessary to make sure Smidge, or the rest of the Snack Pack, never saw it. He didn’t need to know Poppy’s reaction if she were to read his own personal autobiography about the night before, and he certainly didn’t need Poppy to know that he was jealous over her and Creek’s former relationship.

Not only would it be embarrassing, but it might put a large crack on their friendship.

It was already bad enough that Poppy was still in love with him. He didn’t need a cherry on top of his already molded cupcake.

“Smidge, please!” He gasped, finally catching up with the yellow troll and placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to stop her from moving further.

“I swear to hair Branch if I see a naked queen hiding inside your closet…” She shrugged his hand off with ease, placing her hands on the Oak handles and opening it, only to find a leaf vest with snot stains and dried tears plastered over it. Her eyes widened and she gagged at the sight of it, taking a step back. “Branch, what is that?!” She cringed, pointing to the leaf vest nauseated.

He quickly went back to her side, instantly feeling a wave of relief wash over his panic once he realized she wasn’t disgusted by the journals displayed on the top shelf of his closet, but by the filthy leaf vest that lay in front of her. Branch picked up the vest from the inside, trying his best not to touch the dirty outside layer as he sneakily used his navy blue hair to push his journals further inside the Oak closet. His mind immediately replayed the events from that emotional night once more when he realized that he was holding the vest Poppy had used as a blanket for her tears. “It’s-uh….. It’s…. This was from last night.” He choked on his words as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

“From last night?” She looked at him with a perplexed expression and for a few minutes, silence greeted them. Smidge went deep into thought, trying to figure out what Branch meant. How could a snot-covered vest connect to the special event that happened last night? Surely there was nothing romantic and breathtaking about that. So what did he mean by “This was from last night”?

Something sparked in her brain, making her brows furrow with confusion. It was like all the pieces of a puzzle finally fit together to reveal the backstory.

But there was no way that that possibility was possible. Branch was one of the most romantic trolls she, as well as the rest of the Snack Pack, knows! They had heard only a bit of his poetry, but that bit was enough for them to see the romantic side of him, and since then, they had been hungry for more. Which is the whole reason why they had left Bergen Town with such high hopes that Branch would swoon Poppy over with his good looks and romantic charms.

There was NO way Poppy could have said no to him! She tried to assure herself that her mind was playing tricks on her, but at this point, even her own hope was fading.

Could the _‘special event’_ really not have gone as planned?

Smidge blinked herself back to reality and glanced at the blue troll, only to find him drowned with memories too, with his head bowed and his ocean blue eyes flooding with tears that looked like they would break free any moment. “Branch…?” she called lightly, making his attention drift away from the stained vest and towards her. “Did the _‘special event’_ not go well?” She questioned. Her expression grew sorrowful when he didn’t respond. He tried to blink away the wall of tears that had formed in his eyes, but that only caused one to break free, rolling down his cheek before making a small wet spot on the filthy vest. “Branch, I’m sorry.” She went for a hug but he flinched away. “Branch-”

“Look Smidge,” He cut her off, his voice slightly cracked as he swallowed the tears that were pleading to escape. He wasn’t going to receive pity from a Snack Pack member, especially not the strongest one “But I don’t think it’s my place to say. Try asking Poppy. I’m almost confident she’ll explain what happened.” He sighed. He had already revealed too much of what happened anyway, he didn't want to share anything he wasn’t sure he was allowed to share and risk putting a dent in Poppy’s trust for him. He mindlessly tossed the stained vest into a white bin in the corner of his room before returning to his bed, his back facing Smidge, signaling that their conversation was now over. Branch could hear the quiet footsteps of the small troll, followed by the sad murmurs of her as she retreated to the elevator.

He layed in his bed with his blanket wrapped around him like a burrito and half of his face buried in his pillow, not realizing that the tears had come out of their cell until he felt something wet smudge the corner of his eye and roll down his blue cheek once more.

 _“It’ll all be over soon.”_ He reassured himself _“She’ll come back soon.”_

________________________________________________

Poppy sipped her jungle fruit tea as she looked over the village out her pod widow, the sun exposing a beautiful crystal blue sky with small streaks of pink as she inhaled the lukewarm breeze, trying her best to let the peaceful setting drown her busy mind. Memories of Creek had been running through her head non-stop since last night. She had been trying her best to erase everything that had to do with that traitor, going through multiple lists of therapeutic exercises that could help her relax: acupuncture, stretching, face masks, and when she noticed the sun was up, she even tried jogging, but it was no use. No matter how hard she tried, the memories never seemed to fade. No matter how hard she attempted to distract her frustrating mind, they always seemed to resurface, like a stone tossed into a pond. Sinking to the bottom at first, but after a few moments, its barrier breaks and it floats back to the surface. Creek’s bright, light purple skin echoed unwillingly in her consciousness. His snorty laugh that would make her giggle, his wide toothy grin that would always reassure her whenever she was upset, it was something that she couldn’t push away to the back of her head and forget about, because even after all he had done to her, she was still in love with him.

He was bad for her, and she knew it.

Yet…

She was still in love with him.

And she hated herself for that.

Creek’s betrayal replayed itself in her mind last night, making it impossible for her to sleep. He claimed she was his one-and-only, he said that she was his sunshine, he assured that he loved her with all his heart, yet he chose to sacrifice her to the stomachs of angry, miserable Bergens. He chose himself over his girlfriend. He chose his happiness over his population’s survival. He left her with nothing and no-one. And the worst part,  
He saw this as the most fitting way for their relationship.

_“Now I have to live with this guilt for the rest of my life. At least, you get to die with a clear consciousness…”_

Poppy had cried herself to sleep last night, repeatedly wiping her tear-stained cheeks as she tried to not think of Creek, but it was no use. She couldn’t help herself. She wished of the day she would taste his soft, tempting lips again. She wished of the day that he would come back to her, arms wide and expressing his regret for what he had done. She wished of the day that he would hold her in his strong embrace once more, as he reassured her worries with a light kiss on her forehead. She wished of the day that she would find out that this was all a big dream, a terrible nightmare, and that the real Creek was taking her to a beautiful forest, holding a glittery, diamond ring and asking _“Will you marry me?”_  
She dreaded wishing all of these things, and she smacked herself for thinking of such horrid things.

But it was true.

Poppy had tried to deny it, but she couldn’t help herself anymore….

She missed him.

She missed him with all her heart. She just wished everything would go back to the way they were. Before the Bergens attacked the village. Before he betrayed them. Before she threw that stupid party.

Heck, she was even willing to say before Branch!

She just wanted him back.

She wanted her soulmate back.

_“Was it my fault?”_ Poppy had thought last night, cuddling her soaked face into her pillow _“What did I do wrong? Where did I go wrong? I thought he loved me... Hair, I loved him so much...! Why can’t I get over him? Was I just not good enough for him? I didn’t deserve his love in the first place… He was right. I was the one that betrayed him. I could’ve pulled harder when the Chef took him, but I didn’t. I could’ve dived into Gristle’s mouth and saved him before he tapped out, but I didn’t. I could’ve prevented him from getting lit on fire, but I decided to dance and celebrate instead… I’ve killed the love of my life.”_

She had no way to relax. A part of her heart despised Creek for what he had done. He had protected her, guarded her, sheltered her when she had no home, only to stab her in the back with betrayal and greediness. That part of her was happy she didn’t do anything to stop his death and would have gladly thrown a celebration party as his memorial.

But… There was another part of her heart that had started to consume her hatred, replacing it with guilt and bitterness and spreading through her body like a virus, attacking her with negative thoughts and constant regret. That part longed for him, desperately holding out hope that he was alive, that he still loved her, that he still thought of her as his _“one-and-only”,_

She hated that part of her heart. That naive, delusional, mislead part of her that forced her to mentally relive their relationship, their good times, their history. Even though she didn’t want to. It tortured her mind to go through those flashbacks, to hear his snorty laugh or to see those deep, dark magenta eyes, knowing she’ll never be able to see them again…

It hurt her to her core.

Clutching her jungle-fruit tee tighter, she peeked her head out the haired window, feeling a desperate need for a distraction from her racing thoughts. Poppy inhaled deeply, a warm, sweet smell attacking her nose as she looked below her. The village had never been this peaceful since the Bergens had destroyed the town. Even now, nearly a year later, the village was still suffering from mass destruction and she was grateful for the few trolls below her who had woken up early to pull extra shifts to help rebuild the village. She sighed, releasing her gaze to continue staring at the morning sky. Poppy was lucky to be living in such a peaceful environment, but it failed to ease her condition.  
While watching the trolls work, she couldn’t help but think that Creek would’ve been helping the most, building back the pods with just as much determination and waking up earlier than anyone else.

She wanted to get over him, but, at the same time….. She didn’t want to get over him. She didn’t want to not get rid of his charming smile or his adorable laugh, or his positive attitude. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to be able to accept he’s gone.

_“Forever.”_

_‘Forever’_ was not a word she was sure she could cope with at this moment. That would make everything seem so final, so official, so terminal, so…….. Real.

Poppy wasn’t ready for her and Creek’s relationship to come to a close yet. She still had hope that he was still alive and well. She was certain that his betrayal was nothing more than a fluke and that he didn’t really mean it. Surely, he had had a plan to free the trolls, he was only faking to betray them.

This was nothing more than a mere bump in the road for their relationship.

He loves her and she loves him. And that is how it will always be like for the rest of their lives.

The beautiful crystal blue sky held a show for her eyes while the sweet air wrapped Troll village in a warm hug. A beautiful rainbow cracked open behind a hill, taking over the sky with its vibrant colors and making a reasonable attempt to calm her nerves, but at this point, there was nothing nor no one that could make her feel any better. But, for the first time in what felt like years, she smiled. It was a weak one, but she still smiled. “Good morning, Troll village,” she said, taking another sip from her teacup.

A small knock sounded itself on her door, making Poppy’s attention drift away from the colorful illusion, and towards the call. She frowned, placing her drink on a corner table before making her way over to the door and opening it. Usually, Poppy would be happy when she heard a knock on her door, skipping happily to the sudden sound and opening the door with a wide grin. But not anymore. Not when she knew that Creek wasn’t the one that was stopping by. He had always been her most active visitor, always coming over to invite her to a romantic night or a steamy make-out session.

But now, he was gone.

His bright smile would never reach her eyes, his strong hands would never wrap around her waist, and his fierce, velvety lips would never taste her mouth.

Ever again.

A concerned Smidge stood at her entrance, looking at Poppy with a worried expression. “Poppy?”

“Smidge!” Her frown instantly disappeared upon seeing her friend, putting on a fake smile and wrapping her in a warm hug. “How are you?” She asked, breaking the hug and making way for her to come in as she closed the door after for some privacy. Even though her look didn’t show it, she knew Smidge wanted to talk to her about something important.

“I’m fine.” She answered, looking around at the pink pod anxiously “But, I feel like I should be asking you that question.”

“Oh?” Poppy gave her a perplexed look, slightly tilting her head to the side as she tried to decipher what she meant. “What do you mean?”

“Are you Ok?” She said gently, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?-” She lied, turning her attention away from the short troll to look elsewhere.

“Y’know, I went to see Branch….” Smidge informed, calling Poppy’s bluff. Poppy’s breath hitched and she took a step back, a nervous expression dominating her fake smile as the words echoed themselves in her brain.

_“I went to see Branch….”_

This was bad. Poppy wasn’t ready to tell the Snack Pack that she wasn’t over Creek yet. His small, white freckles, his calm, positive mindset, his dimple that would always seem to be revealed every time he smiled, these were only a few qualities that meant more than the world to her, but now, those qualities were gone, and so seemed her world. When the realization of Creek’s death first hit her, she broke, turning into a crying zombie, shattered and broken.

She didn’t feel comfortable sharing this type of information with anyone else, fearing that they would only accuse her of being weak, that she should just _‘get over’_ the relationship, that forgetting about Creek shouldn’t be so hard since he was bad for her from the beginning.

Even though she knew that no troll would ever say nor think such horrible things, something in her head told her that they would, that they would all judge her for not moving on.

That everyone would judge her.

Even the Snack Pack.

Even Branch.

For almost a year she walked the streets of Troll Village with a false smile playing her features, pretending that everything was normal, that she was okay when realistically, she was torn up inside. Only Branch grew suspicious of her attitude, noticing that something was off about her, but every time he asked her if she was okay, she would just give him her usual toothy grin and respond with “I’m fine! Don’t worry, you safety nerd!”

And it was working until last night. Poppy made sure not to breathe the word ‘Creek’ out loud to any troll since his death, but somehow, Branch had deciphered that she wasn’t over him yet. He was the only one that didn’t buy into the shell that she had been wearing on herself for almost a year. He was the only one that got her to confess. And now, he’s the only one that she can rely on to pour all her angst and worries upon.

But still, those voices in her head that warned her that trolls would judge her about Creek rang annoyedly in her consciousness, restraining her from opening up to the Snack Pack. She and Creek’s relationship was something she wasn’t sure if she would ever have the courage to share with them, no matter how hard she wanted to. Poppy had tried to tell them about how their relationship affected her many times but the words never seemed to escape her lips. What she had with Creek was something so precious that it completely destroyed her when she lost it. But now, things have seemed to change. What if Branch had said something to Smidge about her and Creek’s relationship? If word were to get to Smidge about their former relationship, surely, she would tell the Snack Pack, and Poppy still wasn’t ready to release that kind of personal information to her friend group just yet.

_“Would Branch actually do that?”_

Wait, what was she thinking? Does she not believe that Branch won’t keep a secret as important as this, even if she never told him officially that what they discussed last night was crucial to not tell anyone? Why would she even doubt that he would do something like that? Surely, Branch would never betray her, not like Creek did. That’s what separates the two from each other. She knew Branch would always have her back.

Always.

She didn’t need him to say that to already know, for he’s shown that he will always be there many times before. Especially last night. Hair, if she could find a way to use words as a form of gratitude, she’d do it! She felt a wave of relief wash over her when she finally talked about her condition out loud to someone, and she was glad that that someone was Branch. There was no way he would betray her. After all,

What are best friends if you can’t trust them to keep a secret?

Branch would never betray her…… Right?

“You-you went to see Branch?” Poppy gulped, still feeling a bit of anxiety in her blood despite the fact that she just reassured herself. She couldn’t help it. She knew Branch would never tell The Snack Pack something as important as last night’s discussion without confirming with her first if he was allowed to. She knew Branch would never betray her…. But, she also thought that Creek would never betray her too and she was terribly wrong about that. Poppy’s experience with Creek had made her look at trust from a different angle, a more cautious angle. Trust takes years to build but only seconds to break, but once you’ve broken it, it was nearly impossible to get back. Some people won’t care if they’ve broken someone’s trust. As long as it benefits themselves, they’re completely fine with stabbing people in the back. Creek was one of those greedy people that only cared about himself, but she was sure that Branch was the complete opposite, that he’d always look for ways to gain other people’s trust, and would always stay loyal even if it cost him his life.

But you can never be too careful

Smidge nodded in response to her question, moving closer to the pink queen, her eyebrows slightly creased in worry. “This morning when the Snack Pack and I came to find you in your pod, you weren’t there.” She informed, her masculine voice still gentle and soft.

“So, we went to go ask Branch to see if he’d seen you, but he wasn’t in his bunker either. The village was seconds away from launching a full ‘Poppy 911’ until we remembered that Branch had a ‘special event’ planned for you guys. Of course, The Snack Pack and I took the hints in the situation and naturally assumed that you had just decided to stay the night.” Poppy´s eyes widened as her cheeks flushed, but Smidge ignored that as she continued. “It was all fun and games until…” She bowed her head, her mind replaying Branch’s reaction when she mentioned if something went wrong last night. She felt bad for him, clearly, something hadn’t gone right, but she was also confused as to why he didn’t say what was wrong. Now that he had his colors, Branch had never been afraid to tell trolls how he truly feels about anything. But, for some reason... He failed to open up his emotions about last night. Had it genuinely gone that bad?  
She raised her head to look at her friend who was just staring at her blankly, confused as to where she was taking the conversation. Smidge released a shaky exhale, staring deep into the queen’s eyes as she said her next words.

“Poppy, he’s a mess.” Her voice was barely audible, but it was enough to reach Poppy’s ears and hit her like a brick.

“A mess? What do you mean?” She asked, uneasiness playing on her features.

“When I went to the bunker, not only did his room look like a dumpster’s apartment but when I looked inside his closet, I found a dirty leaf vest that was stained with tears and dried snot on it. I asked him why his vest looked like that, but the only response that I got from him was _‘It was from last night’_.” Smidge shook her head, “I tried to question him further but he wouldn’t blurt out any more information. He said that I should instead ask you, that if I did, he was almost certain that you would tell me what happened.”

Poppy let out a shaky breath, her mind spinning. She was relieved that Branch had kept her secret, which meant that he truly DID care about her trust and that he was genuinely a loyal friend. But, she wasn’t ready for what Smidge had told her.

Branch was a mess? When she rejected Branch, she hadn’t meant to hurt him too much, if not, she hadn’t meant to hurt him at all. Poppy just wasn’t ready to be in a relationship with anyone else after Creek’s death yet, even though he was bad for her and even though it had been almost a year since he had passed. What she and Creek had was too special to forget about in over half a dozen months. She was still in love with him, and if she was being honest….. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever stop loving him. She thought this was something that Branch understood, but after hearing Smidge’s explanation, she felt this awful sensation of guilt run through her veins, like it was her fault that Branch was still hurt. She knew she had hurt his feelings with her rejection, but she never knew that she had affected him this badly.

Poppy knew that Branch’s room only ever got messy when he was deeply hurt, otherwise it would be as shiny as a bald man's head and it will smell like a tropical paradise cast out on a beautiful, vast sea. She had only seen his underground room filthy once, and that was when she first went into the bunker to persuade him to help save her friends from the Bergens. Words like _‘Fear the Bergens’_ or _‘They will eat Us!’_ were carved on his dirt walls, covering his room with warnings and fear. That day, Poppy was relieved that she wasn’t the one that had caused all that stress for him, and vowed to never make him worry like that again, but now, she felt like she had broken that vow. She was now the one that was causing Branch so much pain and stress. Her whole body shuddered at the thought of him carving words like _‘I will never be loved’_ into his walls and she felt so dirty knowing that he might do those things because of her.

Poppy shakingly took an uneasy seat on her flowered bed, placing her fingers on her temples and rubbing them softly in an attempt to erase all of her terrifying thoughts. How could she do this to him? She felt tears forging but she couldn’t let them escape. Not now. Not when she still had a friend over. Smidge followed, sitting next to Poppy and placing a yellow hand on her back, soothingly rubbing it. She knew how much Poppy hated disappointing or upsetting someone. It was one of her worst fears.

“Branch is fine.” She said tenderly, giving her a small reassuring smile “He’s just… Sad right now.”

“I guess.” She exhaled, staring at her feet. They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the leaves rustle against each other from the opened window that revealed Troll Village’s forest theme before Smidge inhaled, removing her hand from her back to play with her fingers nervously, asking a question she hoped would be answered.

“Poppy, what happened last night?” Poppy’s head immediately shot up, looking at her friend with eyes that flashed with fear and embarrassment

“Last night? Oh, um, nothing! N-Nothing at all!” She squeaked, giving a weak, sheepish laugh, hoping Smidge would buy it. Smidge turned to her, kneeling on the bed, her toes running through the soft, flowered blanket as she looked at the queen questionably, calling out her bluff.

“Poppy, the leaf vest?” She raised an eyebrow at her and crossed her arms, signaling that she was being serious. She wanted to know what was wrong with her best friend.

“Leaf vest?”

“Yeah, leaf vest. When I went to the bunker, I found a leaf vest in Branch’s room closet. It was completely stained with I think snot and dried tears." She shuddered at the memory before continuing "It was REAL nasty. So, what’s up with that?”

“I already told you Smidge, it’s nothing.” Poppy said almost too harshly, her expression nearly turning deadpan as she looked into Smidge’s turquoise eyes, making sure to not blink as Smidge starred back just as intensely. An uncomfortable silence filled the air, transporting them into a stiff, awkward void. Smidge wasn’t going to blink first. Not when she knew that there was clearly something wrong with Poppy, and as her right-hand troll, she would make sure, at all costs, that she was okay.

“It sure didn’t sound like ‘nothing’ when I mentioned it to Branch.” She said just as rudely, her eyebrows furrowing with annoyance

“Well, it IS nothing.” She tried to persuade, her tone rising with irritation

“Oh? That’s why he was CRYING right? Because of nothing?” Poppy blinked, her body freezing as her breath hitched once more.

“Crying?” Her voice went quiet. Smidge nodded in response and for another moment, Poppy’s whole world had been turned upside down as her body once again got showered with guilt. She had made Branch cry? All because of the rejection? She didn’t mean to… She hadn’t meant to hurt him! This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Branch was supposed to understand why she rejected him. Could it be that he missed the point? Poppy hated seeing Branch upset, almost as much as he hated seeing her upset and it was even worse when tears were involved. That was when a weight would be placed on their shoulders, and they would have a desperate urge to make things right, even if it wasn’t their problem.

But just to think… she had made Branch cry, her best friend, her closest companion, her savior. She had made him cry... She had hurt him…

Smidge let out a deep sigh as she scooted closer to Poppy, giving her a small smile and looking into her deep, rubellite eyes, hoping she could find some truth in there. “Look Poppy, I just want to make sure you’re okay. Both you, AND Branch. Because, ever since last night…” She shrugged, playing with the bottom of her pink dress nervously “You guys have seemed to be a little off... Like, you weren’t your old selves. I haven’t told the Snack Pack about any of this yet and I won’t tell them if that’s what’s holding you back from telling me what’s wrong or if that’s the reason you won’t tell me about what happened last night.” Poppy could see Smidge’s eyes watering, causing her to almost let out a gasp. Was she about to… Cry?

“Poppy, please.” She begged, her voice cracking. “Just tell me what happened last night. All I want to do is make sure my best friend is okay.”

Poppy was left speechless. She had never seen Smidge this vulnerable before, to the point where she was on the verge of tears. She opened her mouth to speak, to spill out the whole truth, about Creek, about Branch, about last night. She wanted to pour it all out. And she was about to before her consciousness spoke to her again, filling her mind with doubt and fear, causing her to refrain from her decision.

“Nothing happened last night, Smidge. I promise you, I’m fine.” She lied, giving her a forced smile as Smidge’s face fell, disappointed that she didn’t get an answer.

“Poppy, I know you’re not fi-”

“Oh my guh, Smidge! I already said I’m fine! What more do you want?!” She asked, not realizing when her tone rose out of irritation and annoyance. Smidge just looked at her, stunned at the sudden outburst as her mind tried to process what had just entered her ears. Poppy had never raised her voice at her before nor had she raised her voice to anyone else, especially out of rage. Where was this coming from? All she had asked was if she was okay. Was it now wrong to care about your friends?

Smidge’s brows furrowed as her fists clenched, her fingernails digging deep into her palms as she abruptly stood up from the bed. If Poppy was going to act like a bitch, then so was she.

“What more do I want?” She spoke, her masculine voice lowering in an upset matter “How about the truth, Poppy?! Why can’t I have the truth, huh?!” Poppy leaped off the bed, landing with a soft thump as she stared right into the yellow troll’s eyes, towering over her small figure.

“I’ve already told you the truth!” She yelled, throwing her hands in the air exasperated “I said I’m fine!”

“You’re not fine!” Smidge snapped back “The look I saw on Branch’s face in the bunker when I asked him about last night told me you’re not fine! The look I saw on YOUR face when I asked you about last night tells me you’re not fine! I KNOW my friends and I KNOW you, Poppy! You are NOT okay! Just TELL ME what happened last night. TELL ME why you and Branch are not your usual selves! TELL ME what I can do to help!- ”

“You can’t help!” She blurted, the wall of tears that were trapped in her eyes now escaping and roaming down her cheeks slowly. Smidge gasped when she saw this and Poppy quickly turned away from her friend before she could see any more.

“Poppy...” Smidge said softly, exhaling sharply to release her remaining anger before placing a hand on the queen’s shoulder soothingly. “Don’t you see? I CAN help. We ALL can help. Just tell me what’s wrong.” Poppy shrugged off the hand, refusing to turn to face her in fear of Smidge looking at her tear-stained cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Smidge.” She whispered solemnly, bowing her head. “But, no one can help me with this problem this time. No one. Not you, not The Snack Pack…... Not even Branch.”

“Poppy, that’s not true-”

“Yes, it is!” She interrupted “This is my own battle to face! Not anyone else’s. I NEED to face it by myself.”

“There has to be some way I can help-”

“Well, there isn’t.” She sniffled, wiping away her remaining tears.

“There has to be a way the Snack Pack or me or even Branch could help.” Smidge insisted again, but Poppy just shook her head.

“There isn’t.” She repeated, clearing her cracked throat as her eyes stared blankly at the haired wall.

“But, Poppy-”

“Smidge, please.” She begged, finally turning to face her short companion, her face fallen and her cheeks stained. “Just leave. I-I, I need some alone time.” She gave her friend a small smile before walking over to her scrapbook table and pretending to work on a project.

“O-Okay. I’ll see you later then.” Smidge waved goodbye, her head bowed sadly as her eyes filled with worry before leaving the pink pod, walking slowly out the haired door.

Poppy kept a fake smile plastered on her face, waving goodbye to her friend before she heard the door give a quiet close, giving her the signal to release all her emotions. She dropped to the floor with a loud thud, falling on her side and cuddling herself in a ball next to her scrapbook table as she finally allowed her lips to quiver and her stomach to turn. Tears started to break free and before she knew it, she was sobbing louder than she had ever sobbed before. Snot dribbled from her nose, landing on the top of her lips, but she didn’t even make an effort to wipe it away. She felt so broken, so lost, so lonely. Creek had begun crawling back into her consciousness once more, making her cry harder once she saw his beautiful, unforgettable face again.

Why did she miss him? Even from the beginning of their relationship, he had continuously sexually harassed her and tried to persuade her into sleeping with him, despite how many times she informed him that she was not ready. He sometimes even went as far as hurting her physically for not having sex with him or for ruining a beautiful sexual moment. Poppy had cried herself to sleep many times because of how he’d treated her or because of how many red marks he had smeared onto her skin, constantly blaming herself for being the ‘idiot’ that ‘made him mad in the first place’. But, even though the number of bad times they had together triumphed over the number of good times they had together by a LOT, she still loved him. She still had hope that he was alive.

She still cared about him.

Poppy sniffled hard, wiping away the remaining tears from her eyes before attempting to get up, but quickly failed and landed on the haired floor once more. She winced at the pain the fall had caused, but if she had to be honest, she’d suffered worse from Creek’s slaps. She flipped her body to her side once more to assure the pit in her throat, her mind starting to replay Smidge and her conversation.

_“No one can help me with this. Not you, not the Snack Pack, not even Branch.”_

Was that really true? Was there no one that could help her get over Creek? Was she really left to fight this battle alone? It seemed so. No one could know what she’s going through right now. No one could possibly relate to what she’s feeling right now. No one in Toll Village had ever gone through a relationship that she and Creek had. A relationship where you know it’s bad for you, a relationship where you know that it is unhealthy, a relationship that you’re not truly happy in, yet, you stay in it anyway, and it completely tears you apart when it’s over.

There was no point anymore…

She had been fighting Creek’s betrayal for almost a year now, and she had yet to control when that devious troll slips back into her mind, showing his charming face in the form of flashbacks and memories. Poppy was exhausted from waking up to the same obnoxious face repeatedly for over half a dozen months, to be constantly hearing his laugh, to be continuously seeing his mesmerizing, toothy grin, and to be countlessly seeing her former boyfriend, knowing that she would never be able to see him again…

She groaned at the mere thought of it. If only there was a troll that had actually been through a kind of relationship like she had been through, a troll that actually understood the exhaustion and the pain, a troll that could actually relate to her as if reading her mind.

Reading her mind…

An idea sprung to life in Poppy’s head, and she immediately found a small source of hope. There was a troll that could help her! This troll might not be able to understand the exhaustion and pain nearly as well as Poppy would but she would be able to relate to Poppy’s condition better than any other troll in the village. And if she could relate to Poppy’s problem, then she could also help her heal. Everyone came to this troll in need of guidance when they were unsure of what decision to make next in their life, and right now, Poppy was in desperate need of guidance. She cleared her hoarse throat, holding her table chair as assistance to help her get up, and this time, her legs did not fail her.

She had a troll to see.

__________________________________________________

Clouds made way for the sun to spread its beautiful rays upon the village, blossoming flowers so they could show their vibrant colors while trolls murmured quietly inside shops. Branch walked the streets of Troll Village slouching, carrying piles of large sticks with his left arm while the other swayed loosely on his side. He didn’t dare smile when he went outside, even though he got his colors back and he was now this beautiful, bright blue troll with the majestic midnight blue hair, he wasn’t in the mood to be smiling. Actually, he wasn’t even in the mood to BE outside right now, and he would have happily preferred staying in the bunker for the remainder of the day if he hadn’t run low on rations.

Ever since Smidge had broken into his bunker, memories of last night had once again resurfaced, staying in the center of his mind like a mind worm. He didn’t understand how she was still in love with someone like Creek. I mean, yes, he was her best friend at the time, as well as her boyfriend, but he was also an imposter in disguise. He had stabbed her in the back and betrayed her when she was most vulnerable, sacrificing his girlfriend to save his own skin. He watched as Poppy, as well as their whole population, got thrown in a pot to be prepared for the Trollstice feast without feeling the smallest feeling of pity or regret for what he had done. He was a greedy, selfish bitch that wouldn’t stop at anything to get what he truly wants. Of course, Branch understood why Poppy was still upset about Creek’s betrayal- he had been her boyfriend, her love, her closest companion,...

But why was she still IN LOVE with him?

After everything he had done to her, she was still in love with him…

With Creek

He gritted his teeth at the memories of how many times he had seen Creek’s lips come to contact with Poppy’s, at the memories of how many times he had held her hand, at the memories of how many times he had hugged her, reassuringly kissing her forehead and _‘booping’_ her nose, telling her that everything would be okay. Branch had always hated how close they were even before Creek had betrayed them. He hated how in love Poppy was with the guru more than anything else he hated, but now, he hated her love for him ten times more.

To think that someone as bubbly, as optimistic, as perfect as Poppy, was still in love with someone as dark and as selfish as Creek made him want to throw up.

He wandered over to the far side of the village, taking a quick glance at his list before making his way over to the sparkleberry patch. Hundreds of shimmering red berries greeted him, the sun reflecting off their smooth skin and making them shine even brighter. White berries accompanied the red ones, with skin that glowed brighter than fire and with a taste that was as sweet as candy. Upon looking at the lot of berries that were attached to green, thorny bushes, his mind went back to thinking about the pink queen. How her eyes would always seem to glow every time she sang, how she skipped to almost every place she went, how she would regularly stuff her face with dozens of sweets a day. He had tried his hardest not to fall in love with her in his bunker days but he failed. He couldn’t resist the urge to not see her beautiful toothy grin or to hear her adorable, snorty laugh. His bunker days were tough and he had suffered ten years of loneliness, but Poppy had wiped away those ten years in just ten days. She brought back his true colors and she had restored his hope. For that, he loved her. With all his heart. And he would never stop loving her.

Ever.

“Branch!” A masculine voice called from behind him, breaking Branch out of his gaze and causing him to look behind him. Smidge was running towards him with the Snack Pack close behind, their faces urgent and worried, their feet only coming to a halt once in front of the blue troll. “You need to tell us what happened last night, right now!” Smidge demanded, stomping her foot on the grass angrily.

Branch sighed, looking at the yellow troll blankly “Smidge, I already told you. I’m not saying anything. Try asking Pop-”

“I already tried asking Poppy!” She interrupted furiously, her eyebrows furrowing deeply. “She didn’t say shit about what happened!” Branch shrugged, turning his back away from them to continue picking the berries.

“Well then, I guess she doesn’t want anyone to know.” He muttered, placing the pile of sticks gently on the ground as he pulled out a wicker basket from his midnight blue hair. He picked one of the white, shimmery berries from the bush, inspecting it closely before tossing a few in.

“Branch, it is our duties as Poppy’s closest friend to know what’s bothering her.” Guy Diamond chimed in with a serious tone.

“Yeah,” Suki agreed “We just want to know what went wrong.”

“Look, I’m just as worried about Poppy as you guys are.” Branch assured calmly, turning his body to look at the Snack Pack’s anxious faces, the wicker basket hanging loosely from his fingers. “But, if Poppy didn’t tell you about what happened, then I’m pretty sure it’s for a good reason. Last night was rough for both of us but it was especially hard on her.”

“We deserve to know!” Chenille said, crossing her arms and making a face at him

“Why do we HAVE to get Poppy’s permission before knowing what happened? Why can’t you tell us?” Satin questioned, following her sister's lead and crossing her arms.

“Because it’s her personal life! She shared something very secretive with me and I don’t want to break the trust I worked so hard to get by telling people I’m not sure she wants to know!” Branch blurted, his patience running low and his body fueling with exasperation.

“Well, we have every right to know!” Cooper tried to speak angrily but his usual silly voice got in the way. Branch gave a frustrated groan, placing the wicker basket on the grass so he could drop his face in his palms, exhaling heavily to calm himself down before talking.

“I know you have every right to know, but if Poppy doesn’t feel the same way, then I have to respect her wishes.”

“Can you at least tell us if she’s okay?” Biggie asked, squeezing Mr.Dinkles closer to his person anxiously. Branch sighed.

“Poppy’s fine.” He reassured the tall, blue troll with pale hair, patting his arm comfortably.

“Oh, please.” Guy scoffed, rolling his eyes. “How ‘fine’ can Poppy be if she thinks no one can help her?”

“What?!” Branch jumped back, surprise written all over his face.

“Well, according to Smidge here,” The glitter troll used his thumb to point to the strong, disciplined yellow troll below him. “Poppy’s kind of in a dark place.”

“It’s true.” She confirmed, nodding her head slowly. “When I went over to her pod today to ask about last night, she said that no one can help her, that this was her own battle to fight. I tried to convince her that that wasn’t true, that there was always me, the Snack Pack, and even YOU that would always be there to help but…” She trailed off, staring at the short grass that was under her feet, kicking lightly. “She didn’t believe me.” She whispered after a few seconds. Branch stared at her with wide eyes.

“What else did she say?” He muttered, his eyes darting in between the Snack Pack members. Smidge shook her head and turned away from the group, pressing her eyelids closed together tightly as she hoped no tears would fall on her cheeks.

“I don’t think she said anything else,” Suki answered him, noticing that her friend wasn’t going to continue talking.

“Other than she wanted to be alone,” Cooper added gloomily, his head bowed in sadness. Branch’s eyes widened more as he gaped at them in disbelief. Poppy? Wanted alone time? But, that wasn’t like her! She never wished for alone time, especially when she was sad. She would usually pour her heart out to all her friends in cases like that, sobbing in Biggie’s shoulder while Satin and Chenille brought tissues to wipe her tears and the remainder of the Snack Pack comforting her. In bad cases, she would go to Creek and cry with him, to which Creek would usually hug her and kiss her, telling her that everything would be okay and that there was no need to cry. But never had she EVER asked for alone time. The extrovert loved to be surrounded by her friends and throw huge parties with massive crowds.

Since when did she like alone time?

Branch snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of soft mumbling coming from the yellow troll in front of him.

“While I was there,” Smidge started quietly, turning her body to face the rest of the Snack Pack’s anxious faces, her own face too reading the same expression “Poppy’s face…. Her eyes…. Her smile…. They weren’t-They weren’t… The same. They weren’t…. Her.”

“What? What do you mean?” Branch asked, looking at the small troll perplexed.

“Her eyes… They were just… Pink. No shine, no sparkle. Just, pink.” Smidge explained, “And her smile… I don’t know what was off about it but I could tell something was wrong.” She turned her attention away from her friend's agitated eyes to stare at the grassy ground. “This isn’t the Poppy that I know.” Smidge meant to mumble to herself but the rest of the Snack Pack heard.

“After Smidge told us what happened,” Chenille said, placing a comforting hand on Smidge’s shoulder, noticing her sadness was worse than hers or the other Snack Pack members. “The rest of us tried to go to her pod too. Y’know to see if she’d open up, but... She just shut us out. Keeps on saying she’s fine when it’s obvious that she’s not.”

“She won’t tell us what happened, and YOU won’t tell us what happened…” Suki added, equally as upset.

“We don’t know what to do, Branch!” Biggie said, worry clearly expressed on his features. Branch just watched in disbelief as the distressed group kept on rambling on about Poppy, answering any of their questions with silence. This wasn’t true. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. Poppy was supposed to be fine! Last night on their walk back to the village, she seemed like herself. Skipping and cheering and singing and stopping for unrelated reasons. Her eyes still glowed all the shades of pink in the world and her smile still stretched from Mercury to Mars. Her voice was still as harmonious as ever, and her dancing was still so energetic, you’d think she’d eaten 17 cakes before. She was still fine!.........

But, what they were saying…

_“Poppy doesn’t think anybody can help her.”_

_“Her eyes…. They were just pink. No shine, no sparkle… Just pink.”_

_“She just shut us out. Keeps on saying she’s okay when it’s obvious she isn’t.”_

_“She won’t tell us what happened.”_

_“She just said she wants to be alone…..”_

Was Poppy really not fine? Had he read last night all wrong? Was he really so bad of a friend that he didn’t notice that Poppy was fooling him this whole time? When he thought he knew everything about her, did he really know nothing?

“Branch, please,” A masculine voice brought Branch back to reality, and he looked down to see Smidge holding one of his blue hands worriedly as the other Snack Pack members kept on rambling to each other, not even realizing Smidge had left the group to talk to him privately. “Can you just go talk to her? Try to figure out what’s going on? I hate seeing her like this. All sad and alone...” Her eyes started to water up once more. Branch put another hand on top of her bright yellow one, squeezing it tightly.

“Of course.” He said gently and comfortingly “After all, I do love her.”

“I know.” Smidge sighed, “I’ve known from the beginning. But…. You’re not the only one.” His jaw dropped at the confession he had just heard, blinking twice before answering.

“Smidge… I-”

“Just,” She interrupted, not really wanting to know his reaction “Help her? Please? For me?” She stared into his dark, misty, indigo blue eyes, pleadingly, hoping he would say yes. He gave her a small smile, looking back into her bright turquoise eyes.

“With no doubt, Smidge. I promise I’ll help her.”

“Thank you.” She said, squeezing his big, sky blue hand before releasing it, showing a tiny hopeful smile before returning to the frantic group who were still chattering about the pink queen. Branch silently watched the Snack Pack complain and stress for a few moments before clearing his throat.

“Guys?” He called for their attention and they immediately gave it to him, turning their heads to the blue survivalist, all of their expressions still revealing apprehensiveness and unease. “I’ll be right back.” He didn’t wait for a response for he had already dashed off, leaving his wicker basket full of berries and his pile of sticks on the grass, abandoning the Snack Pack. He ran over tall wet grass that tickled the sole of his feet with its moisture as his ears twitched at the sounds of Guy calling for him in his auto-tuned voice.

“Branch! Wai-ai-ai-ait! Where are you going?!”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. He didn’t need the Snack Pack crashing and possibly ruining Poppy opening up with their overwhelming questions. Besides, by the time he reached the pod, chances were that they would have probably found out anyway.

It didn’t matter though. There was only one thing that was on his mind while he ran through the village. He needed to see Poppy.

__________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOO! Finally! This chapter is finished! Might be pretty long but I don't really care lol. Anyway, a few announcements and I got some good news! So yesterday I was sorta scrolling through A03 looking for some Trolls fanfics and I realized that there aren't many Trolls Highschool/College/University fanfics in this fandom. So, after a while, I thought to myself "Hey, why can't I just make one?" lmao.
> 
> So that was that! I have already planned the plot and everything and I already know what's going to be happening in the first couple of chapters. Although, what I don't know is when I will release it. I don't want to release it too soon (like right now) because I'm afraid I'll over commit since I'm already working on a fanfic (This one!) So, I'm gonna try to get a few more chapters in and probably release it at around chapter 5-7.
> 
> Oh! And some more (probably) good news. This fanfic isn't going to be as dark as you guys might think (I mean, the next 2 chapters will be pretty dark and emotional) because at around chapter 5 till..... Well, for the rest of the fic, there's going to be A LOT of drama, heartbreak, romance, etc and at around chapter 6-7, there's going to be a little bit of mystery ;). So, in a way, I guess this fanfic is a romance/drama/heartbreak/mystery/angst kinda story.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope it was worth the wait! (I am so sorry I did not mean to release it this late) See you next week! :D
> 
> *I'm just gonna leave you on this little cliffhanger hehe* ;)


	3. A weapon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Don't worry, guys! The next chapter is coming next week! It will 100% not come late "I promise" :)
> 
> Also me: *Posts it a month later* :P
> 
> Yup! I'm an idiot. And a lazy ass lmao. Sorry for that.... hehe...
> 
> But, it IS posted so... At least I didn't take a year! :D *achievement*
> 
> Okay, but an actual promise I can hold on to is that when it gets to all the mystery and all the drama at around chapter 5-6 (till.... well the rest of the fanfic) I will be uploading LIKE CRAZY I swear *don't hold me against that ;)*! Because I love some good ol' fashion drama and mystery. They're just so fun to write!
> 
> Anyways, on that note, I have some news! (DRUMROLL PLEASE!)...... My birthday was last month (feb 3rd) so that means I'm officially 15!!!! So, yeah lol
> 
> So........ Enjoy this chapter I guess :D

Branch ran through the streets of Troll Village, shoving and pushing past anything that was in his way as his feet urgently took him to the direction of Poppy’s pod. He stumbled over loose party supplies and cupcake wrappers, almost tripping on wrapping paper that someone was going to use for a party before he caught himself on time. His feet felt fifty pounds heavier and every fiber in his body pleaded for him to stop, take a break, and catch his breath but he didn’t listen to their request. He kept running, his worries of Poppy fueling his energy and making him go faster. 

  
  
  
  


Branch’s eyes landed on a big, bright pink pod with lime, green tips, his lungs out of breath, and his legs about to give out on him in any second. He frantically used his hair to wrap around a tall branch that connected to the tree that hung Poppy’s home, feeling his entire world turn upside down once more as he swung himself onto the branch and leaped down onto the wooden steps that led to her house. A sharp, terrifying, shattering sound that resembled a glass breaking followed with a thunderous smashing noise could be heard from the other side of the door, sending tidal waves of fear down his spine and making his eyes widen with terror.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Poppy!”_

  
  
  
  
  
  


Impatiently, he tried to turn the doorknob, grunting in frustration when he found out that it wouldn’t let him. He quickly pushed his ear to the locked door, trying to figure out what was going on inside the pod, half of him expecting to hear cries of Poppy from hurting herself but instead heard loud, angry cursing, pursued by another round of shattering and smashing. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“You son of a bitch! I fucking hate you!”

  
  
  
  


Branch’s face crossed with a mixture of worry and confusion as he took a couple of steps back, putting one foot in front of him and raising an arm, tucking it close to his upper waist. He turned his person slightly to the side, pushing his head slightly back and stiffening his form. The only thing that ran through his head was Poppy and her safety. Was she okay? Was she hurt? There was no longer a need for him to make an introduction. He needed to make his way inside, whether she wanted him there or not. Branch took one last, deep breath before lunging forward, summoning all his body weight to collide with the locked, haired door fiercely, forcing it to slam open and sending him tumbling onto Poppy’s pod floor. 

  
  
  
  


He groaned in pain at how much impact he had received, half his face pressed down against the haired floor and for a moment, his body refused to move. He immediately regretted how much force he put into opening the door once he felt a tsunami of soreness covering his blue self, washing each part of it thoroughly with excruciating discomfort. He strained his crystal, blue eyes open to try to meet Poppy’s light, magenta ones, silence running through the pod. Poppy clutched a large tool close to herself as she stared at Branch surprisedly for a few moments, but his blurry vision couldn’t decipher what it was. Her body was shaking at the sudden noise before coming to her senses about what had just happened. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of her best friend laying on the floor half-consciously, his body in deep agonizing stinging. 

  
  
  
  


“Branch!” She yelped, dropping the tool and running towards her best friend. “Oh my guh, are you ok?!” Poppy brought a pink hand to gently touch his light blue cheek as the other rubbed his back softly.

  
  
  
  


“I really should be asking you that.” He grunted, summoning the strength to lift himself onto his feet, using his arm to support his body weight but he quickly dismissed that decision once the soreness once again attacked him. _“Damn. That fall really did one on me”_ Poppy’s lips pressed worriedly, immediately wrapping him in her embrace.

  
  
  
  


“Oh, Branch… I’m so sorry.” She whispered sadly into his ear.

  
  
  
  


“Don’t be.” He used his other hand to return the hug, wrapping it around her waist and bringing her closer to him. Branch inhaled her strong, strawberry-scented hair, closing his eyes to appreciate the warmth she was creating as he used his nose to brush away the pink strands of hair that had been tickling the bride of his nose, pressing his cheek against hers. He let out a small relaxed sigh as a warm smile crossed his face. Branch’s mind got sent to a more peaceful setting as he felt his body transporting into another dimension. A dimension where pain could not touch him. A dimension where hurt feelings didn’t exist. A dimension where he was dancing in comfortable darkness, with Poppy in his arms, the stars shining brightly over them as he sang a romantic song before giving her a sweet, loving kiss that would last for ages and revealing a glittery ring with a fake candy cane in the middle of it, getting on one knee and asking her to be his forever. He let out another tranquil sigh. It seemed like the pink troll had a magical power that healed his injured soul and his bruised body and he happily let her use them on him.

  
  


As for Poppy, she felt like she could stay in Branch’s warmth for all of eternity, never leaving his side. She loved the smell of his coffee-scented hair and the feel of his hand on her waist. She loved how he would always press his cheek against a part of her every time they hugged, either being the top of her hair or her cheek. She loved every single part of his personality, ranging from his somewhat annoying sarcasm to his surprisingly vulnerable self. She loved how he could always take away her anxiety and angst with just a couple of words and it was times like these that she loved the feeling of his arms around her. Poppy too was about to be sent to another dimension, one where pain was only an illusion and one where love was the center of attention, but her consciousness once again got in her way, telling her that she could never reach that place. She couldn’t join Branch in the relaxing, worry-free world all because she was yet to be over Creek. And she would never be able to be transported into tranquility for she would never get over him.

  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Ever”_

  
  
  
  
  


Knowing this, Poppy abruptly broke the hug, snapping Branch back to reality and out of his daydream as she sat on her knees in front of him. “Uh, you ok?” She asked awkwardly, giving him a small sheepish chuckle once she noticed that she kept the embrace longer than she had anticipated.

  
  
  


Branch drifted his attention away from Poppy to inspect himself. He strained his neck to look at his lower back, shrugging afterward, unsure of whether he had received any serious damage. “Yeah, Uhm, nothing seems broken.” He said, turning his sights back to the pink troll in front of him “But I should probably go visit Dr. Moonbloom to make sure.” 

  
  
  


“Oh, Okay.” A silence filled the pod as Branch stared at the queen before him, taking in all her radiant beauty, a small smile creeping on his lips as Poppy the same thing and staring into the depth of his blueberry shaded eyes. Time seemed to stop for the second time that day as a waft of the casual sweet village air blew in through the open window, briefly hitting Branch’s upper neck and gently attacking Poppy’s face. He took a deep inhale, feeling like he was going to be transported to that peaceful dimension yet again until a realization dawned on him, 

  
  
  
  
  


Something about Poppy seemed… 

  
  
  
  
  
  


_Different_

  
She didn’t break into his bunker today and playfully annoy him with all her enthusiastic pranks and ideas like she usually would… But, Branch had naturally assumed that she was still upset from last night. He would’ve thought nothing of it if the Snack Pack hadn’t told him that Poppy thought no one could help her with Creek and if he hadn’t heard that terrifying noise that was followed by that loud cursing which caused him to force open the locked door in the first place.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Terrifying noise…

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Loud cursing…

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Locked door…

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Poppy!”_

  
  
  
  
  


Everything was starting to come back to him and he suddenly remembered the whole reason why he slammed open the door, foolishly plummeting himself to her pod floor and bruising his body. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


It was because of Poppy! 

  
  
  
  
  


“Oh my guh, Poppy, are you okay?! Are you hurt?!” He asked her anxiously, his eyes widened 

with worry and shock.

  
  


“Uhm, no, yeah, I’m fine. Why would you think I wasn’t?” She raised an eyebrow at him, pretending confused as to why his voice became very worried all of a sudden.

  
  
  


“Because of all the noise I heard from outside your pod!” He responded, fear still expressed clearly in his tone.

  
  
  


“Oh! Uhm…” She scratched the back of her head nervously, trying to think of a good excuse for all of the noise he had overheard, but for the first time in a long time, she couldn’t think of a good deception.

  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Oh shit.”_

  
  
  
  
  


She was trapped between a rock and an overprotective friend who knew everything about her, from her least liked dress to her favorite candy. She was trapped between a troll who no matter how many times she’d try to convince herself to just listen to Creek, to the Snack Pack, to the entire village, and quit trying to be his friend, she’d always find herself walking back towards the mysterious, gray figure, invitation in hand and determination on her face. She was trapped between a walking lie detector. She was trapped between _Branch_. And this time, she feared she had no voice left to lie. 

  
  


Poppy turned her vision to her thighs, bowing her head as she placed her hands on her kneeled legs, furrowing her eyebrows in frustration. Fuck. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to be here. No one was supposed to be here. A day that was supposed to be filled with silent, private crying was escalating into something she was not prepared for. Branch wasn’t supposed to see this side of her. No one was. This dark, ugly side that brought on a discovery of destruction and rage, now revealed and out in the open because of _Creek_.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Poppy wanted nothing more than to tell Branch the truth, the whole part of it. She wanted to tell _everyone_ the truth….. But, she couldn’t. She couldn’t bear to place that burden on his shoulders, on everyone’s shoulders; unintentionally tricking them into thinking that this is _their_ responsibility too. She couldn’t bear to see the look on the Snack Pack’s disappointed faces if she were to tell them that she had yet to recover from her ex-boyfriend’s death. But most of all, Poppy couldn’t bear knowing that she had hurt Branch, one of her closest companions, yet again.

  
  
  
  
  
  


She couldn’t bear to know that she would be responsible for all of that.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“This is my own battle to face.”_

  
  
  
  
  
  


So, finding a new small source of determination to continue her lies, she lifted her bowed head, feeling a little guilty to make up another kind of deception for her most loyal friend, but that guilt quickly shrunk once she reminded herself of why she was deceiving him.

  
  
  


“You mean all the smashing and shattering?” Poppy tried to make her voice seem natural under the tense air, but she couldn’t hide the small quiver that was expressed through every word. 

  
  
  
  


“What else did you think I meant?!” Branch exaggerated, fear still represented through his features and spreading to his tone like a virus.

  
  
  
  


“Relax, Branch, I’m fine.” She assured, swatting the air with a loose hand “What you heard was just my TV. I was watching… Uh…. Despicable ME! The second movie not the first. Guess I just accidentally put the volume to max or something.” 

  
  
  
  


She let out a light abashed chuckle, shrugging a little and giving a small, fake smile as she silently hoped he bought her lie, but that smile quickly vanished once she saw Branch staring at her skeptically. He finally scoffed and shook his head.

  
  
  


“Despicable ME, a kids movie that is rated PG, has angry swearing in it?” He mumbled, looking at her with little amusement. Poppy’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as she cursed underneath her breath.

  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Fuck! He heard that too?!”_

  
  
  
  
  
  


She let out a small, pathetic squeak to his question “Uh… Yes?”

  
  
  


“Poppy…” He sighed, gazing deep into the eyes that used to glow a vigorous pink energy, but now was only filled with anger and regret. “When have you started to lie to me?” Those words nearly made her heart drop and her face fall. 

  
  
  
  


_“When have you started to lie to me?”_

  
  
  
  


Lied to him? Couldn’t he see by now? She wasn’t exactly lying to him; she was just leading him away from all her sadness. Away from the horrible, dark troll she was afraid she was becoming. Away from her unexpected dark side that seemed to bloom whenever it pleased. Away from the happiness that had left her ten months ago. Away from the helpless future she was now destined with….

  
  
  
  
  


Away from herself….

  
  


  
  


_“It’s not lying when you're just trying to protect the ones you love”_ She had told herself. Poppy wasn’t in a good state right now, constantly crying and being showered with guilt, she didn’t want to drag him down into the black, sorrowful ditch she had fallen into. Even though she was deeply desperate to run into the blue troll’s arms and cry her heart out while complaining about how her life had felt like hell ever since Creek died, she couldn’t do that to him. Not after all Branch had done for her, getting her colors back, restoring her hope. This wasn’t the way to repay him.

  
  
  
  


That’s right, this wasn’t lying…

  
  
  
  
  


This was just her way of protecting the friendship she had worked so hard to build. 

  
  
  


“I’m fine, Branch, I promise. I’ve never lied to you before, why would I lie to you now?” She tried to persuade him, forcing a small smile to form on her pink lips but he once again wasn’t convinced by her act.

  
  
  


“Poppy, I know you better than that. Just tell me what’s wrong.” He used his large palms to cup her small cheeks, speaking in a low, quiet voice. “You can trust me.”

  
  
  


“I know.” She whispered just as silently “And you can trust me. That’s why I’m saying that I’m okay.” Branch gave her another skeptical look. “I promise.” She added to satisfy his worrying thoughts, squeezing one of the arms that was on her shoulder reassuringly but the same expression was still scribbled on his face. 

  
  
  


“Poppy….” He closed his eyelids for a moment to extinguish his building frustration, softly letting out a deep exhale before opening his eyes to look back into Poppy’s **pink** ones. Branch’s breath hitched as his mouth slightly gaped in confusion, cocking his head to the side while squinting his own eyes to get a better look. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing right now. 

  
  
  
  


Poppy’s eyes… They were...They were...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“They weren’t….They weren’t the same…. They weren’t…. Her.”_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“They were just pink. No shine, no sparkle. Just pink.”_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Something was off.”_

  
  
  
  


His mind started spinning as his stomach began to turn. He felt a whole new wave of discomfort come over him, drowning his body with sorrow and distress. This time, he knew that this feeling of pain hadn’t come from his recent crashing fall. Branch’s eyebrows creased in pity for the once happy queen, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs gently, “Your eyes….” He muttered mainly to himself, the words barely escaping his lips. He wandered his gaze to inspect the queen in front of him, feeling the slimmest sliver of relief once he realized that some aspects of her remained the same. Her cheeks were still soft and warm, a little chubby with glitter freckles plastered on it and they still fit into his blue hands perfectly. Her skin was still a beautiful bright, light pink, though he could tell that it wasn’t glowing as much as it usually would. 

  
  
  
  


But….. One of the physical qualities he loved most about her was missing. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Her eyes were missing. 

  
  
  
  
  


The light of his day. The motivation to his spirit. The beauty of her soul that was reflected through them… 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Gone. 

  
  
  
  


And replaced with ones that only if you took the time to look deep inside, you would see they were a fraud. A shallow, colorless river instead of a deep, soothing sea. A plain, pink layer instead of a bright, glittery one. A cold, hard glare instead of a warm, relaxing gaze. An imposter.

  
  
  
  


“What about my eyes?” She questioned, rather confused as to what he meant “They’re not gray are they?!” Poppy suddenly asked worriedly, her face turning urgent.

  
  
  


“No, no.” He reassured “They’re just…” Branch tried to find the words to explain them, but just exhaled, unsure of how to continue to why he was worried about them and instead decided to drift his anxious expression away from Poppy’s _pink_ eyes and towards the hairy floor, releasing the gentle, tender hands that were placed on her shimmery cheeks. Even at this moment, through the tense atmosphere, Branch had still hoped that Smidge was lying to him, that her eyes weren’t gone, that they were still the bright, sparkly ocean of joy that destroyed any source of doubt that was lucky enough to cross paths with them. But, they weren’t. At least… Not anymore.

  
  
  


He gave a strained, stiff sigh, his determination to bring her back slowly slithering out his emotions and being replaced with a new wave of fear and apprehension. Branch silently hoped that she didn’t see the look of disappointment on his face. But, there was no way she couldn’t miss it. There was no way she couldn’t see the sadness in his eyes and the loss of hope in his faded smile. There was no way she couldn’t see the lack of determination that was expressed clearly through his facial features. There was no way she couldn’t see his radiant blue eyes part ways from her _pink_ ones in a sense of dread.

  
  
  
  
  


There was no way.

  
  
  
  


“Branch?” She called, placing a calming hand on his blue shoulder, changing her position from kneeling to a crisscrossed form, tilting her head in an effort to lock eyes with Branch’s cowering ones. She spoke in a soft, gentle voice “Are you okay?” He opened his mouth to respond, but it was quickly snapped shut once he felt a small light hit the corner of his eye for no more than a second. He turned his vision to see where that light had come from, but the source had already faded. 

  
  
  


With curiosity running through his veins, his eyes darted around the pink pod with masked hurriedness, trying his best to be natural, but failed, causing Poppy to stare at him with great perplexity.

  
  
  
  


“Uh… Branch?” She squeaked, but he ignored her, wandering his eyes a little more hastily around the pod while his head kept still, not moving an inch. Another short-timed light hit his blue eye again, and this time, he wasted no time to glance at where the source was. A small object was hidden in the pink, haired floor a few feet away from him, the light from the opened window reflecting off its shiny, clear skin and gleaming to the wall right next to him. Branch narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the item, slowly crawling towards it as Poppy continued to stare at him. “Branch? What are you doing?” He continued to tune her out, his back now facing her as he reached for the object, blue fingers immediately wrapping around a sharp, glassy base. He inspected it carefully in his grip, quickly identifying what it was.

  
  
  
  
  


A shard of glass.

  
  
  
  
  


But not any ordinary shard of glass. This one was bigger than the average shard that would usually occur once something as small as a teacup would break, which in this case was the size of glass in Poppy’s pod. Branch rubbed the rigid, broken edges of the glass, squinting his eyes a little once he saw that the thick, middle of it was scratched and dented, causing tiny pieces that used to live inside the base to rise on top, placing themselves comfortably on the body. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


That was… Odd.

  
  
  
  
  


Glass usually only got like this when it was _intentionally_ being shattered with something _hard_ and _heavy_ , in most cases, caused by metal or steel tools. Branch used his free hand to scratch the back of his hair in confusion, wondering how the piece of glass got so damaged. It’s not like Poppy had any large, steel, or metal weapons lying around in her pod. The troll that refused to pick up any sharp item for harm, even if she were in danger herself. The troll that always criticized him about keeping firearms in his weaponry because apparently everyone deserved to live in _harmony_. The troll that all she ever wanted was family, love, and music. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Poppy? With a weapon? Impossible.”_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Branch kept the shard of glass in his navy blue hair to prevent any safety hazards, nearly shrugging off his paranoid suspicions when a memory came back to him.

  
  
  
  


Right after a humiliating fall into her pod, he saw Poppy clutching a large tool close to herself like it was her own new-born child. Now, thinking back, he was able to identify some aspects of the object. The handle of it was wooden and smooth, clearly polished, but some of the base was a little cracked. If he were to guess, the handle was made out of Oak, a dense layer. Ranging up from the tool was a hard, thick head with a black coating of paint. Branch ranged deeper into his memory, trying to see if he could figure out what the surface was made of. He dived deeper, and deeper, until he finally found it, letting out a small, internal gasp.

  
  
  
  
  
  


It was made out of metal.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Which meant the object that Poppy was clutching tightly to herself wasn’t used as an object in her case.

  
  
  
  
  


It was a weapon.

  
  
  
  


His memories replayed itself, reminding him of what he heard earlier that day, and worrying thoughts made him shiver. His breath hitched a little once he felt an unexpected hand being placed on his shoulder. Branch turned his blue self to look back at the pink troll behind him, confusion and curiosity still scribbled on her facial features.

  
  
  


“Branch?” She asked, her eyebrows creasing. “What’s wrong?” He looked at her solemnly before huffing out an airy breath from his nose.

  
  
  
  


“Don't lie to me, Poppy.” He said gently, annoyance expressed moderately in his tone.

  
  
  
  


“What do you mean?”  
  


  
  
  


“Are you okay?” He questioned for what seemed like the thirtieth time that day. Poppy’s lips made an exasperated grunt.

  
  
  


“Oh my guh, Branch, yes! How many times do I have to say it? I really AM fine.” She once again claimed false words, trying to put a gentle smile on her lips.

  
  


“No, you’re not.” Branch accused confidently, shaking his head a little. He turned his attention towards the floor again, not wanting to look back into Poppy’s _pink_ , dull eyes, his back once again facing her on an angle. Biting the corner of his lip, he slightly raised his head, thinking about continuing their conversation but that all went away once his attention yet again got caught on a black, thick layer of metal that laid across from him, peeking out of the haired floor. He narrowed his eyes in curiosity as Poppy, who had been staring at him the whole time, aligned her vision to follow his gaze, narrowing her eyes, but she did not see what he was looking at. She turned back to him.

  
  


“Uh…. Branch? What're you looking a-” She stopped talking once she saw a pair of legs rise from the pod floor. He avoided eye contact as he started walking neutrally across the pod, leaving Poppy on the floor completely baffled as to what he was walking _towards_.

  
  
  
  


______________________

  
  
  
  
  


Branch walked towards the strange particular object that was removing its disguise at long last the closer he got to it, its black surface brushing the haired floor beside. A fresh breeze drifted in through the open pod window, summoning a temporarily sweet scent, but he didn’t even feel the warm air nor smell the heavenly scent, for he was already in a different world. A more anxious, worried world where his heart pounded fiercely with dread. He hoped that the mysterious object that was lying on the floor wasn’t what he thought it was. He truly did wish with all his heart, that the item wasn’t what he had anticipated. Branch finally reached his destination, taking a deep inhale and closing his eyes before bending down.

  
  
  


___________________________

  
  
  


Poppy watched in bewilderment as Branch made his way across her pod, her brows creasing a little. What was he doing? Why was he acting so weird all of a sudden? Two questions she wished she had the answer to. She felt a sudden warm waft of air pass through, hailing in a sweet scent with it and she silently enjoyed the relaxing moment, relaxing her eyes slightly while still keeping her gaze on him, but then grew more puzzled once she realized that Branch had only flinched at the tranquilizing embrace. This wasn’t like him. He would usually close his eyes, inhale deeply at times like these, sometimes even cracking a small smile. The survivalist enjoyed those few times when all that could be heard were the swift movements of the wind and all that could be smelt were the comforting aroma of cupcakes. 

  
  
  
  


She had only seen him pass up a moment like that when she had convinced him to save her friends. They were a couple of miles outside of Troll Village when _‘one of those times’_ happened, and although she enjoyed the crisp, divine smell, Branch didn’t so much as inhale the breeze. He was too anxious and scared, continuously dancing his eyes around the forest.

  
  
  


Since that day, she had made a personal note to herself that could be used for better friendship bonding: If Branch doesn’t savor the natural Troll Village scent, that means he’s too scared to do so. She specified that if she were ever to encounter again that he won’t inhale on times like those, then something terrible and frightening is on his mind and it should serve as a warning…..

  
  
  
  
  
  


It should serve as a warning…..

  
  
  
  
  
  


A warning….

  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Oh fuck!”_

  
  
  
  
  
  


It was all making sense now! How could she have been so stupid! The reason why he suddenly started looking around the pod nervously. The reason why he ignored her. The reason why he abruptly stood and was now walking towards _something_. The reason why he was acting so unusual… It was because something appalling was forcing him from behaving otherwise! It seemed like every abnormal movement he made, every glance, every glare, had all joined together to reveal the real picture. Branch was afraid!

  
  
  
  
  
  


But….. Of what?

  
  
  
  
  
  


Surely she hadn’t done anything to scare him, I mean, other than her TERRIBLE lying skills, but it’s not like he saw what she was _really_ doing. So why would he be afraid?

  
  
  
  


Was it because of all the noise he had heard from outside her pod?

  
  
  
  
  


Maybe…. 

  
  
  


When Branch had decided to break into her home unexpectedly, barging in without a care, she froze, completely flabbergasted when she saw his body fly from the air and descend roughly into the ground. But, oddly, she wasn’t shocked for the reason that she had just seen her friend crash into her home floor, landing with a painful, loud thump; it was because she was scared that she might have been caught doing _what she was doing_ . Luckily, she had time to safely dispose of her items before his eyes peeled open. Poppy was a little upset that Smidge, her right-hand troll, had told the Snack Pack as well as _Branch_ what had happened. Even after it all, she still had a small sliver of hope that Smidge had gotten the hint, and kept what she had found to herself, but, that small sliver was soon destroyed once she saw the blue figure. 

  
  
  


Well, at least she had securely hidden her objects in places NO ONE would even consider looking.

  
  
  
  


NO ONE….. 

  
  
  
  


_“Oh my fucking hair…!”_

  
  
  


Poppy HADN’T gotten rid of ALL of her materials, she had only gotten rid of _a few_ of them. The rest she had carelessly thrown on the haired floor without reconsidering her foolish move. 

  
  


Oh hair! 

  
  
  


She hadn’t gotten rid of the EVIDENCE too! Fuck! Why was she so stupid?! Now that she looked back when Branch had rudely turned his back on her with no rhyme or reason, she did see him pick up something sharp… But, she hadn’t seen any more than the corner of it. Poppy watched as he fiddled with the small object carefully, the light reflecting off its dented skin as he inspected it closely, eventually bringing it closer to his eyes to get a better look at it, only retreating the item into his hair once he heard a small call escape from her lips. Could it be that the material he was fiddling in his hand was the shard of glass she had recently destroyed? Was he holding the evidence that could expose what she was doing?

  
  
  
  


It would give a valuable reason as to why Branch had been acting more paranoid than usual. But if it really WAS true, then that meant he saw the glass shard…! 

  
  
  
  


She blinked herself out of her thoughts, putting her sights back on the blue troll as her eyes widened tensely, finally realizing where he was going. But… It couldn’t be! Branch couldn’t have been walking in _that_ direction, the hair on her pod floor was too thick and long to reveal the object! Could it be that he had seen? No. That was impossible! But, the path he was walking in… It’s the exact way to where _it_ is! 

  
  
  
  


Oh hair...!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Oh hair!  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  


OH HAIR!

  
  
  
  


It was confirmed now. He was treading the same trail that she didn’t want him to tread. Shit, why was he even here! This couldn’t be it! She was about to get caught! She was about to get exposed…!

  
  


Poppy hurriedly got up, speed walking with large steps to try to catch up to him, but she was too late. He was already bending down…..

  
  


______________________

  
  
  


Poppy watched him pick up the object, with a mixture of horrification and nervousness pumping through her veins. This was it. She had been caught. Her secret had been revealed. She bowed her head sadly, staring at her pink toes wiggle anxiously within the thick, haired floor. Poppy bit her lip nervously as she raised her head slightly to look at the blue survivalist in front of her, only to see that his back was still facing her, his body frozen in shock.

  
  
  


Branch couldn’t believe what he was seeing right now. Of course, he had always suspected that this was what he would have founded, in fact, he was almost certain that this was what was hidden. So then…. Why was he still surprised? Why did it still hurt? Why was he still frozen in the realization?

  
  
  


Was it because of all the lying Poppy had thrown at him, knowing full well that none of them would quench his anxiety? No. Even after all of the false words that she had told him, none of them had put so much as a scratch on his love for the pink princess. She could lie to him all she wanted, but deep down, she could never hurt him.

  
  


So, if it wasn’t because of all the lying, then why was he still in pain upon seeing the weapon. Why did he still not believe that something as horrific as that could be in a place like this, even though it was staring right in front of him, its cold body in his blue hands. Well, he needed to believe it. Because it was real. THIS was real. In this pod of happiness, in Troll Village, a weapon was found.

  
  
  
  


A sledgehammer.

  
  
  


Even now, he could still see the remains of small shards of glass that was laying on its hard front, glass that resembled the one that was safely hidden in his hair. He clenched the tool that was in his palms bemusedly as his eyes slowly scanned the pod yet again, his brows furrowing in confusement once he saw multiple shards of glass that were about the same length as the one that he had found earlier scattered around the pod. Where had all this broken glass come from? Had Poppy really taken out her rage that violently? Was she really that upset?

  
  
  


He unfroze his body to look back at the queen in front of him, now gripping the sledgehammer tightly in one of his blue palms. Branch saw that she had slightly lifted her bowed head to stare at him, but then quickly retreated once his eyes met hers and pity promptly flooded his emotions. Even after it all, he couldn’t stand seeing the pink queen upset. He NEVER could have stood seeing her upset, even during his bunker days. This is why he’d always return to his bunker immediately after destroying her invitations, he couldn’t bear seeing the sadness flood up in her shimmery eyes, or the smile fade from her bright face. He couldn’t because even after it all, he had still loved her.

  
  
  


“Poppy?” He said softly, slowly walking towards her. She gave a small hum in response, still kicking the haired floor nervously, her head bowed yet again. “Look at me?” He used his free hand to place them on her shoulder and leaned his head to look at her eyes, but she snapped them shut and cowarded them away. “Please?” Branch whispered, placing his thumb and his index finger on her chin, gently pulling her face towards his. Poppy heavily strained her eyes open, immediately attempting to return her gaze to the haired floor, but her efforts always led her back to Branch’s crystal, bright eyes. She tried to close her eyes again but they always ended up peeling back open. There was no use. She knew the second she glanced at those diamonds he seemed to have for eyes, she wouldn’t be able to look away for long. 

  
  
  


Her eyes took a quick glimpse at the sledgehammer that was firmly placed in one of his hands, confirming her suspicions. She really HAD been caught. She was exposed. Done for. Her lies had finally caught up to her. She was trapped…

  
  
  


“Good.” Branch mumbled, rubbing the bottom of her chin softly as his gaze stared into Poppy’s shallow, pink eyes. “Now that I have your attention,” He parted himself slightly from her pink presence, removing his fingers from her face to raise the small tool that was clutched tightly in his grip, the chipped wooden handle rubbing against his blue palms as Poppy’s breath hitched. She already knew where this conversation was going and she didn’t want to be here once it happened, but she was forced to stay in her place; she couldn’t remove herself from his deep, blue eyes that seemed to drown her with awe. Branch arched a confused eyebrow at her, fiddling with the sledgehammer for a moment before continuing. 

  
  
  


“What is this?”

  
  
  


Poppy waved a leisurely hand at him, giving a little snicker at his ridiculous question. “Well, obviously, it’s a hammer.” She playfully scoffed in an attempt to hide the worry in her tone “I mean, it’s right in front of you, don’t you have eyes?” She gave another faulty laugh but then quickly stopped once she realized that Branch’s expression had now turned deadpan.

  
  


“You know what I meant.” He said somewhat firmly, shaking his head slightly at her absurd joke. “What were you using this for?” He clarified, a hint of fear trembling in his voice as he pointed the sledgehammer towards the pink troll.

  
  
  


“Oh! Well, uhm-” 

  
  
  


“Did you hurt yourself?!” He suddenly asked urgently, wondering if the pink troll had tried to harm herself with the hammer. Poppy quickly denied his assumption, her eyes widening at what was entering her ears right now.

  
  


“What?! No! I wasn’t using that to hurt myself! I was using it for…” She stumbled on her words, searching deep in her mind to find a good excuse but her mind was like a blank page. No words, no lies. Poppy gave an exasperated sigh, feeling defeated. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Feeling abashed, she buried her face in her palms for a moment, letting the calming darkness soothe her frantic nerves. “That was for Smidge?” Poppy uttered to herself, then shot her head up in the realization that she had made a valid excuse.

  
  
  


“Yeah, uh, Smidge!” She brought on a small cheeky smile on her pink lips before continuing “She said that she needed some… Uh…. Dumbbells! She needed dumbbells to workout. So I was going to surprise her and make a... Handmade one! I was going to use the metal part of the hammer to-”

  
  
  


“Poppy.” He cut her off, his eyes glued shut with his thumb and index finger placed gently on the bridge of his nose as he tapped his foot carelessly on the haired floor in an impatient manner. Even though Branch’s voice was no louder than a mutter, there was an uncomfortable density in his words that made it sound unintentionally strict. “Stop.”

  
  
  


“Stop?” She sounded confused, tilting her head to the side like it could make her understand the words better. “Stop what?”

  
  


“This!” He raised his voice involuntarily, throwing his hands in the air dramatically, causing her to flinch at his sudden outburst as the sledgehammer released itself from his grip, falling on the pod floor with a booming thump. “This! All of the lying! Just stop it! You said I was your best friend, aren’t best friends supposed to tell each other the truth?”

  
  


“Y-Yeah.” She answered, shaking a little. Poppy exhaled a weak breath before adding more. “I… I don’t get why you're mad though, because... I AM telling you the truth-!” 

  
  


“No, you aren’t! You’re lying to me!” Branch once again claimed in an exasperated manner, his face showing great evidence of rage and confusion. “I’m not some stupid toddler, Poppy, I can tell when something is wrong with you!”

  
  


“Then why are you acting so fucking paranoid!” She spat back “I’m okay! How many times do I need to tell you that I’M OKAY?!” 

  
  
  


“Depends. How many times are you going to lie to me?! How many times are you going to assume that I’m going to walk away from you, from THIS, just because you SAY you’re okay when you’re clearly not!”

  
  
  


“Y’know what, Branch?! I SHOULD HAVE JUST GIVEN UP ON YOU FROM THE VERY BEGINNING! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND DOESN’T UNDERSTAND WHEN THE OTHER NEEDS SOME SPACE?!” Poppy screeched, unaware of what she had just said. “AND WHAT KIND OF TROLL DOESN’T HAVE ANY TRUST FOR OTHERS?!”

  
  
  


Those words finally got Branch to pause in place, looking at her in pure horror disbelief while Poppy stared at him daringly, frowning in the deepest frown he had ever seen from the pink troll, signaling that she didn’t regret anything that had just escaped her lips. The dense air between them lingered for what seemed like forever. She finally blinked, taking another shaky exhale as she placed her fingers on her forehead; a hard lump tugging at her throat and making her let loose of a little, scratchy cough.

  
  
  
  
  
  


What was she doing?

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Why in the hair was she still lying?

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Why couldn’t she just… Stop?

  
  
  
  
  


Wasn’t this it? She had been caught. Branch had trapped her, she couldn’t escape. So… Why was she still trying to _defend herself_ ? What was happening? When had it ever taken THIS long for Poppy to tell the truth to someone? Especially when that _‘someone’_ was Branch? What was she changing into? What was she going to become? What HAS she become?

  
  
  


Poppy walked over to her bed, running her pink fingers through her long bangs before taking an uneasy seat and burying her face into her palms. She felt miserable, embarrassed, exhausted. The only thing she wanted to do at this moment was curl up on her bed and cry. Alone. But, that wouldn’t be able to become reality if Branch was still stalking around her home. 

  
  
  


What she had said was true though, and she had meant every word of it. If it meant that Creek would never have left her in the dark, then she really would have given up on Branch. In a heartbeat.

  
  
  


_“Why did Creek have to die?”_

  
  
  
  


A question she’d asked herself a million times yet still did not have the answer to; the ONLY question that had been running through her mind since his death. Poppy couldn’t bear knowing that this was her new reality. She just couldn’t. A world without Creek living in it seemed like a world not worth living. Hair, her craving to feel his warm embrace wrap around her soft skin was growing stronger with little recognition. All she wanted was to feel _him_ again, any part of him, just one more time. Once more.

  
  
  
  


But she couldn’t. Poppy was too late. If only she hadn’t killed him…

  
  
  
  


Branch watched the worried queen from a distance, his shocked expression now softening into curiosity and pity. He knew that she hadn’t meant anything that she had said and that she had merely said it because out of her outburst. He knew this because he knew HER. Even if she hated someone with all her guts, there was not even a sliver of a chance that she’d give up on them.

  
  


Oh, but how he hated seeing Poppy like this. Whenever his eyes lay on a pit of hope coming from the pink troll, he couldn’t help himself but to also feel some sort of dread himself. Just even knowing that the queen could even get sad was enough to give him a stomachache. The troll that got his colors back with the simplest song, in his darkest days. He owed his life to her.

  
  
  


There was no way that Poppy would be sad.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Because as long as he’s here, there will be no such thing as sad. Never. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


That’s a reality he will surely make happen.

  
  
  
  


Branch made his way over to Poppy, her face still plastered to her small hands. Even though her face was now expressionless, he could see the fear and pain in her eyes, and eyes alone. They were still _pink_. He gingerly took an awkward seat next to her, his ass landing on the velvety mattress as he stared at her figure vaguely tremble, her breath going in quick, sharp exhales. Just looking at her quiet, frantic body was enough to make his heart drop. 

  
  
  


“Poppy?” He whispered, clasping his hands together soundlessly, his eyes keeping contact with her person. She muttered something underneath her breath, then continued to be silent, her face still attached to her palms. Branch sighed and scooted closer to her, tapping her bare shoulders afterward. “Please answer me?”  
  
  


“I-I don’t want to talk to you.” Poppy finally muttered, her voice sounding muffled in her hands. This was true. She didn’t want to talk to him. But not because she was mad, but because she didn’t have any more strength to lie. She didn’t have the will to keep feeding her best friend with false words. She didn’t even have the perseverance to convince herself to keep going. She was exhausted, tired. The only thing that interested her was sleep and tears. Not socializing. Not friends. Just… 

  
  
  
  


_Alone time_

  
  
  
  
  


And _destruction_

  
  
  
  


Branch wiggled himself to face her body, gingerly removing her hands away from her face to place them in his palms. She reluctantly obeyed, making eye contact with his indigo, vast eyes in an instant.

  
  


“Poppy,” He whispered his voice as soft as silk “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. Or scared. But, I also don’t want you lying to me. You’re my best friend, and all I want to do is make sure that you’re okay... ” He leaned in closer, pausing for a moment to look at the beauty in front of him before closing his eyes and pressing his forehead, her warm mellow nose slightly rubbing against his. Poppy froze, staring at the blue troll in front of her as Branch squeezed the small hands that were in his large ones delicately, smiling a little once he found out that she didn’t flinch. 

  
  


He continued, extending his hair so that it would find its way to hers, tugging at it softly and wrapping itself around it in a swirl-like pattern. “Are you okay...?” He whispered gingerly. Branch used the last strands of hair to form half of a heart, feeling a little disappointed when she didn’t return it, but swiftly pushing it aside once she felt her tense body relax as her warm hands melted soothingly. He peaked an eye open for no more than a second to see that Poppy too had finally closed her eyes, a single lone tear rolled down her cheek. 

  
  


“No…” She answered, her tone almost inaudible but it still managed to make it to Branch’s ears “No, I’m not okay…” Poppy needed to tell him. She needed to be free of this obsessive habit of lying, especially to the ones she loved most. She hated the way she had been lying to everyone and was even more disgusted to realize she’d been lying for ten months now. She needed to just let it all out to someone, just like she did the night before. She needed comfort and hugs. She needed to be reconciled, balanced. 

  
  
  


Hair, she just needed to be _her_ again.

  
  
  


Branch fully opened his eyes, still keeping their hair locked on a somewhat firm grip, their foreheads still in contact. “Can you tell me _why_ you’re not okay?” He whispered kindly, making sure to keep the gentleness and delicacy in his voice. He felt her give a small nod and Branch took that as a signal to release their hair from his grasp. He scooted a little farther away, knowing she would want some personal space while explaining her story. Poppy played with her fingertips nervously for a moment, wondering why it was so hard for her to just start talking, thinking about when it had EVER been hard for her to start talking. She looked at the curious, blue troll right next to her who was staring at her inquisitively, waiting patiently. She sighed, wiping the lone tear on her cheek away. She knew what she had to do to get her old self back.

  
  
  
  
  


She had to tell the truth.

  
  
  
  
  


So, with an odd determination fueling her words, she started talking….

  
  
___________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another chapter that was so difficult for me to write for some reason. I guess I'm just lazy or something ;o  
> And if I'm gonna be honest, the next chapter is gonna be torture for me to write too.... Probably. I'm done with the first part of it so...
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed my first fanfic! 
> 
> To all the Creek fans, sorry but someone had to be the villain and he just plays the role perfectly. The next chapter might be more suitable for all audiences (there is swearing). 
> 
> If you are interested in seeing updates for the next chapter or some art that I am going to do about my fanfic, you can go follow @DeepInBroppy on Instagram.


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